From Bill Lindelof:
Aficionados say the burger sold at the Squeeze Inn is perfection, the consummate marriage of bun, ground meat and melted cheddar cheese.
But a disabled woman has filed suit, saying the one-time coffeehouse with 450 square feet of space at 7918 Fruitridge Road (left) is anything but perfect. She says the kitschy confines where photos of fishermen, fighters and racers abound break federal law and violate her civil rights.
Among allegations in the suit filed in federal court are the following:
* No required accessible parking
* The main entrance is not accessible to the disabled
* The inside seating area, which has only about a dozen stools, should have accessible tables.
* The outside seating area is hard to navigate due to a gravel surface.
* Not enough floor space for someone in a wheelchair at outside tables.
* The route to the restroom is not accessible.
* The restaurant has room insufficient to accommodate patrons in wheelchairs.
In the lawsuit, Kimberly Block is described as a person with disability with severely limited in the use of her legs. The suit alleges that Block, who could not be reached for comment, is being discriminated against because of her disability in violation of California law and the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Block is represented by Jason K. Singleton, a Eureka-based attorney who has filed other ADA suits in the state.
The suit asks the court to force Squeeze Inn owner Travis E. Hausauer to make the fixes and to and award an unspecified amount for damage.
Hausauer has told reporters that to make the required changes would be too expensive and force him to move. The suit comes at a time when the always-busy hamburger joint is enjoying its greatest run of business.
For years, the Squeeze Inn has been named to lists of best burgers in town. Most days, people in suits join high schoolers and blue collar workers waiting outside for a stool, a Squeezeburger and fries.
But national exposure has brought people from all over the country to "the Squeeze" -- the name given by longtime customers. Business has soared this year since the Food Network featured the Squeeze Inn on its popular "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" program with host Guy Fieri.
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