The exhaustive debate over administrative involvement as applied to the Americans with Disabilities Act

Abstract

Litigation involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not an uncommon phenomenon in today's world. An issue involving the ADA that has received a great deal of attention by the courts in recent years concerns administrative notice/exhaustion. Specifically, a great debate has raged as to whether or not an aggrieved party seeking to file a private suit under Title III of the ADA must first exhaust available state or local administrative remedies or otherwise give notice to state or local administrative agencies having authority to remedy or grant relief from discriminatory practices. Aggrieved parties derive their ability to file private actions against ADA violators through the AD A's incorporation of§ 2000a-3(a) (located in the Civil Rights Act of 1964). While the ADA does not directly require that administrative notice be a prerequisite to filing a private action pursuant to § 2000a-3(a), some courts have argued that administrative notice/exhaustion is required by § 2000a-3( c ), which is located just a few paragraphs below§ 2000a-3(a), when suing in response to ADA violations. Other courts have argued that administrative notice/exhaustion is required on different grounds. Still, there are other courts that affirm that neither administrative notice nor exhaustion is required. This dynamic issue has created a virtual even division among the courts. This thesis examines the cases and arguments against the requirement of administrative notice/exhaustion, the cases and arguments in support of administrative notice/exhaustion, and provides a synopsis of what the law, promulgated by the legislature, intended to require and how this issue could be more appropriately adjudicated by the judiciary in future cases. A great deal of consideration and contemplation is given to the purpose of the ADA and how this purpose can be best effectuated when adjudicating the administrative involvement controversy.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2002

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Bast, Carol M.

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Degree Program

Legal Studies

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs;Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic;

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0021714

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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