The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is again looking to intervene in “improper” lawsuits filed by a controversial attorney who’s sued more than 2,000 businesses over disability access.
The motion to intervene was filed June 22 in a federal appeals court in a case brought by attorney Peter Strojnik, who’s become one of the most prolific serial-suers in America by filing lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The Attorney General’s motion to intervene in this appeal is part of his broader efforts to protect Arizona businesses by shutting down Mr. Strojnik’s abusive litigation tactics,” according to a statement released by state officials.
ABC15 has reported extensively on Strojnik’s cases, specifically his lawsuits filed on behalf of a controversial group called Advocates for Individuals with Disabilities (AID). AID’s lawsuits were copy-and-paste cases that alleged violations with parking lot signs. They were in the most literal sense drive-by lawsuits and most demanded between $5,000 and $7,500.
ABC15’s reports prompted the Attorney General to take previous action against AID and Strojnik last year, which resulted in a mass dismissal of those cases in state court.
As part of the AG’s previous actions, AID and Strojnik settled with the state agreeing to never file another ADA lawsuit in state courts again.
But the attorney has filed large batches of new cases in federal court and is demanding even larger sums of money.
So far, Strojnik has filed more than 140 new cases.
In some lawsuits, ABC15 has learned Strojnik has received nearly $20,000 in order to quickly settle the cases and cover his legal fees and costs even though his lawsuits are often boilerplate and cookie-cutter complaints.
According to sources and court records, Strojnik has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from the cases in recent months.
In a recent ruling, one federal judge dismissed nearly a dozen of the new federal cases on multiple legal grounds, which prompted Strojnik to appeal to the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Attorney General’s Office is attempting to intervene in the appeal and prompt the dismissal of more cases.
“Because the instant appeal provides an important avenue to meaningful relief for Arizonans improperly sued by Strojnik, the State respectfully seeks to intervene to defend the district court’s judgment of dismissal—which may easily resolve dozens of cases currently pending and/or stayed in the District of Arizona once affirmed on appeal,” according to the state’s motion.
State attorneys also stated that Strojnik’s lawsuits are “one of the largest, and still ongoing, abuses of Arizona state and federal courts in their history.”
Strojnik could not be reached for comment.
Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at dave@abc15.com.
