Abusing a landmark federal law

The 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act amounted to a welcome and necessary step by an affluent nation to reduce the daily challenges facing millions of disabled people. As America continues to become older – by 2030, our average age will match what is now seen in the senior haven that is Florida – our appreciation of this landmark federal law will only grow.

Unfortunately, this law has lost some of its luster locally because of the absurd abuses of attorney Theodore Pinnock. For years, Pinnock has used lawsuit threats against hundreds of businesses around San Diego County for what Pinnock asserts are ADA violations. Once he is paid off, Pinnock suddenly stops worrying about the purported violations.

The lack of ethics seen in these shakedown tactics left us unsurprised to learn that Pinnock has been disbarred for filing at least 76 lawsuits in the name of Noni Gotti of San Diego without her knowledge, and without giving her a share of the settlements he won. Pinnock, who now lives in the Philippines, didn’t challenge his disbarment.

The perverse irony is that Pinnock himself is disabled and has represented himself as a crusader for justice for the physically challenged. But his definition of justice has little to do with the real thing.