Disabled California Lawyer Cranks out Lawsuits

Scott Johnson calls himself a crusader for the disabled. The hundreds of small businesses he routinely sues call him a legal extortionist.

Johnson has filed more than 1,000 lawsuits since 2004 alleging merchants and others are violating state and federal disabled access laws. He has filed more than a dozen in the last week, mostly against apartment owners.

His targets and other critics accuse him of abusing the American with Disabilities Act, the federal law requiring public spaces provide a minimum of disabled access.

Johnson is disabled himself, rendered a paraplegic by a drunken driver in 1981. Johnson says he is suing so many businesses because so many still refuse to provide access to the disabled.