Judge: Hollister must redesign store entrances

Judge: Hollister Co. must redesign entrances to dozens of stores to make them more accessible

DENVER (AP) -- An advocacy group for the disabled says a federal judge is giving Hollister Co. until Jan. 1, 2017, to modify the entrances of its stores so they are wheelchair accessible.

Some Hollister stores have entrances that resemble a front porch, with steps.

The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition says a ruling Friday by a federal judge in Denver requires Hollister to make changes at a rate of 77 stores per year so they are more accessible.

The ruling says the company has options including leveling out stairs at entrances or installing ramps. It also can close off stairway entrances so that all customers, not just those who can't walk, would use secondary entrances.

The lawsuit was filed in 2009 against J.M. Hollister LLC and its owner, Ohio-based Abercrombie & Fitch Co., on behalf of several Colorado customers.