Filed Date: Nov. 21, 2022
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On November 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the Regents of the University of California for failures at UC Berkeley to make its online materials accessible to people with disabilities in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Justice Department sought declaratory and injunctive relief.
The Justice Department began an investigation of UC Berkeley in October 2014 after it received a complaint from the National Association of the Deaf in April of that same year. UC Berkeley was notified of the findings in a conclusions letter on August 30, 2016 but failed to take appropriate corrective measures.
Concurrent with the filing of the Department of Justice’s federal complaint in 2022, UC Berkeley entered into a three-and-a-half-year long consent decree and agreed to make all its online courses and web content accessible through the use of captions, transcripts, alternative text, and formatting compatible with screen readers or other assistive technology. UC Berkeley was required to report to the Department of Justice every six months throughout the length of the consent decree.
Summary Authors
Robin Peterson (12/5/2022)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65774060/parties/united-states-v-the-regents-of-the-university-of-california/
Kim, Christine Inkyung (California)
Lanvers, Charlotte L. (California)
Molinari, Gioconda R. (California)
Kim, Andrew (California)
Robinson, Kimberly Anne (California)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65774060/united-states-v-the-regents-of-the-university-of-california/
Last updated Aug. 10, 2025, 5:27 a.m.
State / Territory: California
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Nov. 21, 2022
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of individuals with vision, hearing, and manual disabilities.
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12111 et seq.
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Order Duration: 2022 - 2026
Issues
General/Misc.:
Disability and Disability Rights:
Discrimination Basis: