Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA), et al. v. Cinemark

Scroll to case documents Major Victory for People with Hearing Disabilities Date Filed: 11/30/2010 Date Settled: 03/31/2011 Status:

Going to the movies is a central part of American life, which the deaf and hard of hearing community has been largely excluded from up until DRA’s recent settlement with Cinemark Theaters, the third largest movie chain in the country.

In November of 2010, DRA and Co-counsel John Waldo filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA) and two individual plaintiffs against Cinemark movie chain for its failure to provide captioned movies at its theaters throughout California.

In March of 2011, less than a year after the filing of the lawsuit, Cinemark agreed to install closed captioning technology at 56 of its theaters in California.

This is a truly exceptional victory for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Prior to the settlement, there were no Cinemark theaters with closed captioning. Now people with hearing disabilities can view movies at over 400 screens throughout the state and fully participate in this quintessential American experience.

DRA and ALDA commend Cinemark’s cooperative efforts and commitment to providing captioning technology at its theaters.

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