Gillespie V. Dimensions Health Corp., 269 F. Supp. 2d 636 (D. Md. 2005)

Issue: Failure to Provide an Interpreter.

Ruling: A Maryland federal court ruled that deaf individuals who had been denied qualified interpreters to assist them in obtaining medical treatment had standing to seek injunctive relief under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act  (ADA), because they had alleged a real and immediate threat of future injury. 

Facts: Seven deaf individuals sued the Laurel Regional Hospital under the ADA, alleging that its failure to provide in-person sign language interpretation to ensure effective communication deprived them of full and equal medical treatment due to their disability.

Here, the plaintiffs alleged multiple violations on multiple occasions that their repeated requests for live and in-person interpretation were denied. The Video REmote Interpreter was ineffective. The plaintiffs live close to the hospital and are likely to seek medical attention there again in the future and therefore have standing to seek an injunction of the hospital's policy of refusing to provide live interpretation.