7th Circuit OKs deaf teen's suit against Girl Scouts over lack of sign-language interpreter
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A deaf teenager has a right to sue the Girl Scouts for failing to provide a sign-language interpreter under the federal Rehabilitation Act, a federal appeals court has ruled.
Reversing a federal district judge’s ruling that the statute doesn’t apply to a private membership organization, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held Friday that the language of the statute provides no such exemption, Courthouse News reports.
The decision doesn’t reach the merits of Megan Runnion’s complaint against the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana but simply OKs it to proceed toward trial. Her mother brought the suit in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois on the teen’s behalf.
“Megan’s proposed amended complaint alleges plausibly that the Girl Scouts are a private organization principally engaged in the business of providing the services found in ยง 794(b)(3)(A)(ii),” which include education, health care, housing, social services, or parks and recreation, Judge David Hamilton wrote in the three-judge panel’s opinion (PDF).
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com “Family Sues Over Disbanded Girl Scout Troop, Says Federal Law Mandates Interpreter for Deaf Member”
