News
News from Aiello Law
February 13, 2024 - The 131st Maine Legislature, Committee on Judiciary unanimously voted that LD 2195, a bill that limits the rights of individuals with disabilities, ought not to pass. Kristin Aiello testified against this legislation that put Maine law out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, imposed onerous requirements on people with disabilities, and removed incentives for businesses to comply with the law. “LD 2195 is a major roll-back on the rights of people with disabilities, and it’s not helpful for businesses either because it creates inconsistent standards with federal law. We appreciate the Committee’s unanimous stand against this misguided legislation that we all agree is not good for Maine.”
February 8, 2024 - The Maine Trial Lawyers Association has nominated Kristin Aiello to serve on its Board of Governors. “I am honored to be nominated and I look forward to serving with Maine’s most talented and impactful trial lawyers,” Aiello said.
January 17, 2024 - The Maine Human Rights Commission has released a report finding that a Maine Oral Surgeon violated the rights of the Complainant, a patient who uses a service animal. Kristin Aiello, who represents the Complainant, said, “My client’s service animal was well behaved, well trained to do specific tasks and most importantly, necessary for my clent’s independence in the community. We are pleased with the investigator’s findings and look forward to this case being heard before the full Commission on March 4, 2024.”
November 20, 2023 - Uber Technologies, Inc., Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings denied in precendent-setting case, MHRC and Patricia Sarchi v. Uber Technologies. Kristin Aiello, Lead Counsel for Plaintiff Sarchi, successfully argued that Uber is covered as a public accommodation under the Maine Human Rights Act. “We are delighted, but not surprised, by the Court’s finding in Ms. Sarchi’s favor. This decision sends a message that Uber, like all other businesses in Maine that provide taxi-type services, is not above the law.”
October 12, 2023 - Kristin Aiello to receive Disability Rights Maine Attorney Change Agent Award at DRM 20th Annual Celebration on October 12, 2023. FMI see Disability Rights Maine (en-US) (drme.org)
May 23, 2023 - Kristin Aiello was selected to the 2023 New England Super Lawyers list, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice. Only 5% of attorneys in New England receive this distinction.
April 20, 2023 - In a settlement reached on April 20, 2023 between the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and Maine Board of Bar Examiners and Complainant John Doe, Maine has joined more than a dozen other states and made permanent, historic changes to its Bar Application by removing questions that ask about applicants’ history, diagnoses, or treatment of mental health or substance use disorders. These systemic changes come as the result of a disability discrimination complaint filed at the Maine Human Rights Commission by John Doe and his attorney, Kristin Aiello. Under the Settlement Agreement, Maine will also modify its question regarding illegal drug use under state and federal law to exempt cannabis. “No person should fear getting the help they need. The fact of a diagnosis and treatment is not evidence that an individual is unfit to practice law—far from it. By this historic settlement, the MBBE has correctly recognized that such questions are not necessary and should be eliminated,” Aiello said.
March 24, 2023 - Kristin presented on the topic Voting Rights for People with Psychiatric Labels at the prestigious Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. Kristin was lead counsel for the Plaintiffs in Doe v. Rowe, a nationally renowned ADA case affirming the voting rights of individuals under guardianship. At the symposium, Kristin offered guidance on how disability rights attorneys from across the United States may launch similar challenges to discriminatory voting restrictions.
February 13, 2023 - Kristin received a reasonable ground finding from the Maine Human Rights Commission in a case that affirmed the civil rights of a transgender student who had been wrongfully denied gender-affirming care.
November 14-15, 2022 Kristin will attend the District of Maine Federal Conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockland, Maine. This conference is by invitation only for Maine attorneys who practice in federal courts and the judges who serve the District of Maine.
November 9-12, 2022 Kristin will attend the American Bar Association’s 16th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference in Washington, DC.
November 1, 2022: It’s official! Aiello Law has relocated to 167 Water Street, Second Floor, in historic downtown Hallowell, Maine! Elevator access to the office is located on the parking lot side of the building.
September 2022: Aiello Law is on the move! We will be relocating to historic downtown Hallowell, Maine in November 2022! Stay tuned!
August 2022: Kristin is pleased to announce that following the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, she has joined the Board of Trustees of Planned Parenthood Northern New England and the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund.
June 7, 2022: Kristin presented at the National Disability Rights Network annual conference in Virginia on the topic, “Advocating to Protect the Right to Vote for People with Mental Disabilities.” Aiello was lead counsel in Doe v. Rowe, 156 F. Supp. 2d 35 (D. Me. 2001), the seminal case that overturned Maine’s constitutional provision that banned people under guardianship because of mental illness from voting.
April 7, 2022: Kristin presented at the Maine State Bar Association’s 22nd Annual Employment Law Update on the topic, “What’s New at the Maine Human Rights Commission.”
January 27, 2022: Kristin Aiello, attorney for the plaintiff, prevailed against Uber in Maine’s first opinion on the enforceability of online contracts formed using a smartphone app. This seminal case found that the plaintiff, who was denied a ride because of her guide dog, is not obligated to arbitrate her case and she can have her day in court. Sarchi v. Uber, 2022 Me. 8 (Me. 2022).
December 22, 2021: Kristin Aiello, attorney for the plaintiff, prevailed against Walmart when the U.S. District Court denied Walmart’s Motion to Dismiss, finding that plaintiff had standing to pursue his claim for a forward-looking assurance of a fixed work schedule to accommodate plaintiff’s intellectual disability despite the fact that Walmart provide a fixed schedule in the past and stated after the complaint was filed that it did not intend to stop doing so. Champagne obo Morin and MHRC v. Walmart, No. 1:21-cv-000050-JDL, 2021 (D. Me. 12/22/21).