Settlement agreement reached with Williamsville nail salon involving violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act

BUFFALO, NY – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement with a Williamsville, NY, nail salon to resolve allegations that the salon discriminated against an individual with a disability in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

Under the settlement, Le Petit Nails & Spa Inc. will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of disability, including individuals who use a service animal; Le Petit will post signs which clearly state “NOTICE: SERVICE ANIMALS WELCOME;” Le Petit will adopt a nondiscrimination policy, provide the policy to all current and future employees, and enforce the policy; and Le Petit will pay $1,000 to the complainant in this case.

The Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts under the ADA seek equal opportunity and dignity in all aspects of life, including access to public accommodations such as nail salons.  This settlement agreement is the sixth agreement that the Department of Justice has reached with a nail salon through its U.S. Attorney Program for ADA Enforcement, and the first in the Western District of New York.

• In June 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina entered a settlement agreement resolving an allegation that a nail salon in Durham, North Carolina, refused to provide services to an individual with HIV.
• In June 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana reached a settlement agreement with a nail salon in Harahan, Louisiana, to resolve an allegation that an individual was refused services because of the inability to transfer out of their wheelchair.
• In February 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey entered a settlement agreement with a nail salon in Ocean County, New Jersey, to resolve allegations that the salon discriminates against individuals with mobility impairments. 
• In June 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona reached a settlement agreement with a nail salon in SunTan Valley, Arizona, to resolve allegations that the nail salon discriminated against a customer with paraplegia because she uses a wheelchair and does not have complete hand function.
• In October 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas entered a settlement agreement with a nail salon in Kansas City, Kansas, to resolve allegations that the salon refused nail services to a woman with cerebral palsy who used a motorized wheelchair.

Individuals who believe they may have been victims of discrimination may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at  (716) 843-5700 or file a complaint with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division at: https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/. Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Department of Justice’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TDD).

The government is represented by the Civil Rights Coordinator James E. B. Bobseine of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo, New York.

# # # #