Jarek Molski v. Conrad's La Canada Restaurant

Molski v. Conrad's La Canada Restaurant: Court Denies Attorney Fees in Accessibility Case

This case involved Jarek Molski, who sued Conrad's La Canada Restaurant under disability rights laws, claiming the restaurant failed to provide proper accommodations for people with disabilities. Molski had filed many similar lawsuits against businesses for accessibility violations.

The court ruled against Molski's request to have the restaurant pay his attorney fees and court costs, even though he may have achieved some success in his case. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this decision, finding that Molski had behaved poorly during the lawsuit process, achieved only minimal success, and that fairness considerations supported denying the fee request.

This ruling matters for workers because it shows that courts consider more than just winning when deciding whether employers must pay legal fees in disability accommodation cases. Workers with legitimate accommodation claims should still pursue them, but this case demonstrates that how someone conducts their lawsuit and their overall track record can affect whether they recover attorney fees. The decision suggests courts may be skeptical of plaintiffs who file numerous similar lawsuits, potentially making it harder for serial litigants to recover costs.