Federal ADA complaint filed over relocation of LBHS graduation to the Irvine Bowl
On June 2, 2026, William Breit and Kathleen Christoff filed a civil-rights complaint against the Laguna Beach Unified School District in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Southern Division) as Case No. 8:26-cv-01418. The complaint pleads three claims arising from the February 26, 2026 board vote that relocated the 2026 Laguna Beach High School graduation from Guyer Field to the Irvine Bowl: violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. §12132), violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. §794), and violation of California Government Code §11135. The plaintiffs are described as mobility-disabled invitees of graduating students. The complaint alleges the Irvine Bowl (maximum capacity ~2,600) provides only 11 wheelchair-accessible spaces and 12 companion seats, clustered in three non-dispersed areas, with steep approach and interior circulation, and that the district relocated the ceremony without a pre-vote ADA accessibility evaluation. It seeks declaratory relief and a temporary restraining order plus preliminary and permanent injunction barring graduation at the Irvine Bowl, and attorneys' fees, and states a separate U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights complaint had already been filed. Counsel is Dykema Gossett LLP (James S. Azadian, Christine Mardikian, David Ter-Petrosyan).
People referenced
Citations (5)
- Breit v. LBUSD — Complaint (Document 1, filed June 2, 2026) primary U.S. District Court, Central District of California — Southern DivisionU.S. District Court, Central District of California — Southern Division · James S. Azadian, Christine Mardikian, David Ter-Petrosyan · 2026-06-02
Defendant's decision to relocate the graduation to the Irvine Bowl—an arena/bowl that provides only eleven (11) wheelchair-accessible spaces and twelve (12) companion seats for an anticipated attendance of 800 to 1,000 persons—will effectively exclude Plaintiffs and other similarly situated persons with disabilities from participating in this event on equal terms with non-disabled attendees, in direct violation of the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Cal. Gov't Code § 11135.
Breit v. LBUSD complaint ¶2 (Preliminary Statement). The operative theory of the case as pleaded.
- LBUSD's Graduation Drama Is Now a Federal Civil Rights Case op-ed A Public Record for Laguna Schools (publicrecordlaguna.com)A Public Record for Laguna Schools (publicrecordlaguna.com) · Erika Hennon Rule · 2026-06-03
Erika Hennon Rule op-ed published 2026-06-03 at publicrecordlaguna.com surfacing the filing for a general readership and linking a copy of the complaint.
- Judge Denies Request to Relocate Laguna Beach High School Graduation Ceremony primary Laguna Beach Unified School DistrictLaguna Beach Unified School District · Laguna Beach Unified School District (press release) · 2026-06-05
Outcome of the complaint's TRO request: denied June 5, 2026.
- LBUSD's Grad Lawsuit: The Defense Points Back to the Vote advocacy A Public Record for Laguna Schools (publicrecordlaguna.com)A Public Record for Laguna Schools (publicrecordlaguna.com) · Erika Hennon Rule · 2026-06-03
Secondary reporting on the district's response to the complaint; characterizes LBUSD's program-accessibility and timeliness defense.
- Laguna Beach Unified School District
The June 4 agenda lists the graduation disability complaint as existing litigation in closed session (item 3.D, Gov. Code 54956.9(d)(1)); the agenda reads 'Case number not yet assigned' although the case is No. 8:26-cv-01418.