A federal class-action lawsuit filed against eBay claims that the auction website discriminates against hearing impaired because it requires potential sellers to verify their identity via telephone. The suit, Earll v. eBay, was filed on March 16 in Springfield, MO.
Melissa Earll, who initiated the suit, does not use a phone, because she is profoundly deaf. According to the suit, “eBay steadfastly refuses to offer [Earll] an alternative means to verify her identity, despite her repeated requests. Thus, eBay has violated and continues to violate the American with Disabilities Act and the California Disabled Persons Act with respect to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons.” To verify a potential seller, eBay places an automated call to the seller and asks him to verbally confirm the ID.
According to Earll’s attorney, Michael Aschenbrener of Edelson McGuire, eBay had suggested that Earll have another person answer the phone to verify her identity. “As an independent person living alone, that was not an acceptable solution,” Aschenbrener told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s demeaning.”
An eBay spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the company believes it is abiding by the antidiscrimination laws.
