Activist or Scam Artist?

[chanel]

He's hell on wheels.

Zoltan Hirsch, a double amputee in a wheelchair, says he's trying to make New York City more handicapped accessible one lawsuit at a time. But some wonder whether Hirsch -- who has filed 87 federal claims in the last year seeking damages and legal fees -- is crusader or con man.

The Brooklyn resident, who lost his legs after a car accident seven years ago, files lawsuits at the rate of about one a day, hitting businesses ranging from a Brooklyn Dunkin' Donuts to Louis Vuitton in SoHo to Midtown's Lace strip club. He rolls down the street, block by block, looking for places that can't let him inside.

The suits claim Hirsch suffered "an injury" from being denied access. But it is unlikely the 31-year-old Hasidic Jew would patronize some of the establishments he cites -- including the non-kosher City Crab restaurant.

He targeted a pedicure station at the Red & White Spa in SoHo -- even though he has no feet.

Read more: Disabled man puts the squeeze on city businesses with handicap lawsuits - NYPOST.com

Don't you just hate people like this?

 

[Oddball]

Total con man, enabled by the total scam ADA.

There are teams of "aggrieved" handicapped people and their shyster lawyers touring the nation, making their livings off of ADA suits.

 

[Mad Scientist]

I wonder why they had to mention his religion in the article? Sounds like he just wants to make establishments handicap accessible, that is the law.

Maybe he has relatives in a Law Firm?

 

[Anachronism]

I wonder why they had to mention his religion in the article? Sounds like he just wants to make establishments handicap accessible, that is the law.

Maybe he has relatives in a Law Firm?

His religious background is relevant, as the article points out, because he's in some cases suing establishments that he would never actually go into, even if they WERE handicap accessible. To that end, there is no damage to him personally if those locations are not accessible, therefore he should not be proffiting from the lawsuit. Now if the suit were simply seeking to force these locations to become accessible that would be one thing; however that doesn't appear to be the case. Instead they're seeking personal damages for someone who has really not been damaged by this inconvenience.

 

[Sunni Man]

Just another money grubbing Jewish con man.

 

[Blagger]

My guess is that he is still experiencing a lot of anger, resentment and frustration at losing his legs, and channels this anger in punishing those that are or cater for able bodied people. The problem being is that he's now realised that he can make a good living off the back of his disability, and his sense of self-pity accomodates the illusion that he's financially penalizing the able bodied for the greater good of the disabled. Half of me feels sorry for him, but the other half thinks he should be stopped before his anger truly gets out of control. I mean, he's already proved that he has no problem qualms making peoples' lives difficult through pure vindictiveness, so where will it stop. I can forgive those that think I'm perhaps making a mountain out of a mole hill, but the question really does have to be asked: where will it all end?

 

[George Costanza]

Or, possibly, the vast majority of New York City businesses are not in compliance with the law when it comes to handicap access . . .