Justice Department Reaches Americans with Disabilities Act Settlement with Wells Fargo | |
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The agreement resolves numerous ADA complaints filed by individuals
who are deaf, are hard of hearing or have speech disabilities who
allege that Wells Fargo would not do business with them over the
phone using a telecommunications relay service. Instead, the
individuals were directed to call a TTY/TDD line that asked them to
leave a message, which went unanswered. Wells Fargo started
addressing these customers’ concerns before the Justice Department
investigation began. Once the department opened an investigation,
Wells Fargo worked cooperatively to achieve a comprehensive
settlement addressing all ADA issues in its retail banking and
financial services.
“Individuals who have disabilities must not be denied equal access
to the services offered by financial institutions simply because of
their disability. Wells Fargo has shown that it is committed to
equal access and effective communication with its customers who have
disabilities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for
the Civil Rights Division. “The department is aware that other major
financial institutions are refusing to communicate with individuals
with disabilities who use relay services to communicate by
telephone. These refusals are discrimination, and other financial
institutions must follow Wells Fargo’s example and accept relay
calls immediately.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with the Civil
Rights Division to help ensure that businesses in this district
fully comply with the ADA,” said Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for the
Northern District of California, which is where Wells Fargo is
headquartered.
Wells Fargo will pay up to $16 million to compensate individuals
harmed by certain violations of Title III of the ADA. The department
will be administering a claims process to distribute these funds.
Individuals who believe they were harmed by Wells Fargo’s failure to
comply with ADA requirements may get information about filing a
claim by sending an email to
wfclaims@usdoj.gov or by calling
1-866-708-1273 (voice) or 1-866-544-5309 (TTY). Information on the
claims process is also available on the ADA home page at
www.ada.gov .
Wells Fargo will also pay a $55,000 civil penalty to the United
States. In addition, Wells Fargo affirms its commitment to advancing
the interests of individuals with disabilities by paying a total of
$1 million in charitable donations to non-profit organizations that
will assist veterans with disabilities resulting from injuries
sustained while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan to live independently
in the community.
Finally, the agreement requires Wells Fargo to take the following
steps to improve access for customers with disabilities:
Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals
with disabilities by businesses that serve the public. Among other
things, the ADA requires financial institutions, accountants,
lawyers, doctors and other businesses to provide auxiliary aids and
services that are necessary for effective communication. For
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, auxiliary aids include
qualified sign language or oral interpreters, use of relay services,
computer-assisted real time transcription, and, for simple
communications, the exchange of written notes. For individuals who
are blind or have low vision, auxiliary aids include qualified
readers, assistance in filling out forms and written materials
provided in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, audio
recordings or accessible electronic formats such as email or HTML. Those interested in finding out more about this agreement or businesses’ obligations under the ADA may call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD), or access its ADA website at www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed by email to ada.complaint@usdoj.gov. For the settlement and fact sheet on this announcement, please visit www.ada.gov/wells_fargo/ (Wells Fargo will pay up to $16 million to compensate individuals who experienced discrimination in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.)
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Civil Rights - Disability Rights |
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