NEW ORLEANS — A disabled Orleans Parish man is suing the operators of JazzFest, alleging discrimination in not allowing him full and safe access to their property.
Mitchell Miraglia filed a lawsuit June 15 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against AEG Live LLC and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation Inc., operators of JazzFest alleging failure to uphold Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
According to the complaint, on April 23, Miraglia visited Jazz Fest, where he encountered numerous mobility-related barriers and had difficulty accessing the goods and utilizing the services offered on the JazzFest grounds.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to provide an accessible route to the entrance at Gentilly Street and to the Miller Lite Viewing Area, failed to provide an accessible route to the food vendors near the Acura stage, failed to provide an accessible route to the Louisiana Market Place and to the Louisiana Native Nations, and failed to provide accessible toilets, or proper access to the children's tent, medical tent, blues tent and jazz tent.
Miraglia seeks a trial by jury, declaration that Jazz Fest is in violation of ADA, an order requiring the defendants to make Jazz Fest accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, attorney fees, legal costs and such other relief the court deems proper. He is represented by attorneys Andrew D. Bizer, Garret S. DeReus and Marc P. Florman of The Bizer Law Firm in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-10215