Canellada v. Preferred Open MRI
In September 2024, Chicago resident Ramon Canellada filed a federal lawsuit against Preferred Open MRI, Ltd., d/b/a Preferred Imaging Centers, challenging its illegal refusal to provide him with healthcare services because of his disability in violation of the ADA and other disability rights laws. Open MRI provides imaging services at seven locations across the Chicagoland area. Mr. Canellada is represented by Access Living and Disability Rights Advocates. Read the complaint.
Open MRI is required by law to provide equal access to medical services to people with disabilities. Yet when Mr. Canellada arrived for his pre-scheduled MRI appointment, he was refused service and sent away because he uses a wheelchair for mobility.
It is well-documented that people with disabilities experience significant disparities in the standard of care received from healthcare providers due to the pervasive existence of access barriers. Said Mr. Canellada: “It is no surprise that people with disabilities complain about access to healthcare when we have to fight tooth and nail just to get seen. We want the same access to healthcare in our community just like everyone else has.”
Among other relief, the lawsuit seeks an order to ensure that Open MRI complies with the law, develops and implements policies and procedures to serve people who use wheelchairs, trains its employees, and purchases any assistive devices necessary to provide services to wheelchair-users.
In addition to federal disability rights laws, including Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the lawsuit alleges violations of the Illinois Civil Rights Remedies Restoration Act. As one of the first lawsuits filed under this law, Mr. Canellada seeks to recover damages that are no longer available under federal anti-discrimination laws as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, 142 S.Ct. 1562 (2022).