Exploitation of the law only hurts the economy

In 1992, the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect, setting the rules that business and publican officers must follow to ensure access to the physically disabled.

However, what began as a noble effort to equalize access has become a ridiculous exploitation of the judicial system.

Eddie Flores, franchiser of 36 L&L Drive-Ins, fir example, keeps getting sued or threatened with lawsuits, despite his many attempts to comply with ADA regulations.

He is not alone. According to the Oct. 2 Honolulu Star-Bulleting, almost all of the hundreds of Hawai`i businesses have been served with ADA lawsuits, although most have been settled out of court.

These kinds of incidents are simply absurd. They cost Hawai`i businesses thousands of dollars every year. raising the cost of doing business everywhere.

Certainly, the physically disabled deserve equal access to facilities, but when honest businesses operate in constant fear of lawsuits, something has got to change.