Deaf Patients Lose Bid to Revive Bias Claims Against Hospital

Two deaf patients were unable to rescue their disability bias claims against a Modesto, Calif., hospital,as the Ninth Circuit denied their petition for a panel rehearing of their case.

Mark and Lucia Bax sued Doctors Medical Center of Modesto Inc. alleging that it violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, and California law by failing to supply them with their preferred method of communicating during various hospital stays.

The federal disability discrimination laws’ “effective communications” requirement doesn’t mean deaf patients are entitled to receive a ...