Opinion ID: 3054041
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Viewing Angle Interpretation

Text: In 1998, the government filed an amicus brief in the District Court for the Western District of Texas that, for the first time, publicly advocated the litigation position it has taken in this case and others throughout the nation: that § 4.33.3 requires movie theaters to provide wheelchair bound patrons with comparable ‘viewing angles’ to the screen as nondisabled persons. Lara v. Cinemark USA, Inc., No. EP-97CA-502-H, 1998 WL 1048497, at  (W.D. Tex. August 21, 1998), rev’d, 207 F.3d 783 (5th Cir. 2000); see also United States v. Cinemark USA, Inc., 348 F.3d 569, 583 & n.10 (6th Cir. 2003) (accepting government’s representation that its Lara amicus brief represented the first widely published document expressly announcing that § 4.33.3 required comparable viewing angles). The government explained that the regulatory language, as well as the overarching purpose of the ADA, compelled an understanding of § 4.33.3 that included a comparable viewing angle requirement. This new theory, however, failed to produce a uniform interpretation among the circuit courts of appeal. Ambiguity in § 4.33.3 still hamstrung the various courts in creating a coherent nationwide interpretation of the regulation. The Fifth Circuit, the first appellate court to consider the viewing angle interpretation, rejected the theory as contrary to the use of similar language in other regulatory contexts. Lara, 207 F.3d at 789. Rather, the court concluded that the regulaUNITED STATES v. AMC ENTERTAINMENT, INC. 15947 tion merely requires that the theater provide an unobstructed view of the screen. The Fifth Circuit did not reach this result without joining the Third and D.C. Circuits in criticizing the lack of transparency in the regulation: “The text of section 4.33.3 provides little guidance as to whether theaters must provide wheelchair-bound moviegoers with comparable viewing angles.” Id. at 788. In 2003, our circuit accepted the viewing angle interpretation the Fifth Circuit had rejected, concluding that § 4.33.3 does require comparable viewing angles for disabled patrons. Oregon Paralyzed Veterans, 339 F.3d at 1133. We did not reach this result, however, by analyzing the plain meaning of the regulation. Rather, we carefully phrased the issue as one of proper deference to an agency interpretation of its own regulation: The question here, then, is whether it is unreasonable for DOJ to interpret “comparable lines of sight” to encompass factors in addition to physical obstructions, such as viewing angle. The answer, in light of the plain meaning of the regulation both in general and as understood in the movie theater industry, is “no.” Id. at 1132 (emphasis added). Deferring to the DOJ’s interpretation, we held that § 4.33.3 required theaters to provide “a viewing angle for wheelchair seating within the range of angles offered to the general public in the stadium-style seats.” Id. at 1133. The Sixth Circuit joined our conclusion that § 4.33.3 required comparable viewing angles in United States v. Cinemark USA, Inc. 348 F.3d at 575. Reviewing the regulation, the court concluded that the “criteria for evaluating similarity, moreover, while not explicit in the regulation, doubtless include viewing angle.” Id. at 576. Reading the regulation in any other manner would, in the Sixth Circuit’s estimation, 15948 UNITED STATES v. AMC ENTERTAINMENT, INC. eviscerate the ultimate goal of the statutory scheme: to provide the disabled with equal enjoyment of public accommodations. Id. Moreover, as did we, the Sixth Circuit deferred to the DOJ’s interpretation of its own regulation. Id. at 578. While technically dicta, the Sixth Circuit did hint at its views regarding an eventual remedy. Cinemark had presented evidence that it had relied upon state building codes previously certified by the federal government when constructing its stadium-seating multiplexes.1 Id. at 581. While the court rejected an estoppel argument on the basis of the permits, it reasoned: Cinemark’s reliance on TAS and the government’s statements with respect to the state building code certification process weigh strongly in favor of making any relief that the district court grants the government on remand apply only on a prospective basis. We do not go so far as to hold that any relief must be prospective to comport with due process, but note that, given the following facts, prospective relief will often be most appropriate. Id. With these less than subtle instructions, the Sixth Circuit remanded the case to the district court. The First Circuit, after noting that “[s]imilar cases have divided the circuits,” joined us and the Sixth Circuit in concluding that § 4.33.3 mandates comparable viewing angles. United States v. Hoyts Cinemas Corp., 380 F.3d 558, 561, 566 (1st Cir. 2004). Nevertheless, the court also acknowledged that “[t]here is no doubt that standard 4.33.3 is vague as to whether it embraces angles, that the Justice Department has been slow in providing more precise guidance by regulation, 1 Likewise, AMC presented evidence to the district court that AMC had received state building code certifications for its stadium-seating theaters in both Texas and Florida. UNITED STATES v. AMC ENTERTAINMENT, INC. 15949 and that the belated amicus brief in Lara and the differing conclusions of the courts have impaired predictability.” Id. at 573. These factors seemed to militate, in the court’s view, against retroactive application of this requirement. Id. at 57374. After the First Circuit’s opinion, the tally of the different circuits’ opinions as to § 4.33.3 was as follows: in the Third Circuit § 4.33.3 did not even require an unobstructed view; in the D.C. Circuit § 4.33.3 mandated that some seats had an unobstructed view; in the Fifth Circuit the provision required an unobstructed view but not comparable viewing angles; and in the First, Sixth and Ninth Circuits § 4.33.3 mandated some sort of comparable viewing angle. Three of the circuits considering the issue credited the DOJ’s interpretation, but two of those three expressed skepticism as to the possibility of retroactive relief. All circuits considering § 4.33.3 found common ground on the proposition that the regulation was vague or ambiguous. See also Miller v. Cal. Speedway Corp., 536 F.3d 1020, 1028-29, 1033 (9th Cir. 2008) (agreeing that “ ‘lines of light’ in § 4.33.3 is subject to several interpretations,” detailing the various interpretations, and ultimately concluding that “the DOJ’s interpretation of its own regulation is reasonable and therefore entitled to substantial deference”). D. The Proceedings Against AMC in the District Court As the courts grappled with the ambiguous provision, and before we issued our opinion in Oregon Paralyzed Veterans, the DOJ brought this action against AMC for violating § 4.33.3 by failing to provide disabled patrons with comparable viewing angles.2 2 Because Oregon Paralyzed Veterans is the law in our Circuit, AMC does not appeal the merits of the district court’s decision below, but only the remedial order. 15950 UNITED STATES v. AMC ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Granting the DOJ’s motion for summary judgment, the district court refused to “interpret § 4.33.3 to be static and inflexible,” rejected the Fifth Circuit’s interpretation in Lara, and concluded that the provision imposed a comparable viewing angle requirement. The court’s review of industry literature and AMC correspondence made it “clear to the Court that AMC understood—or should have understood—that the meaning of ‘lines of sight’ in the context of motion picture theaters referred not only to possible obstructions but also to viewing angles.” To address the infraction, the district court accepted a proposed remedial order crafted by the DOJ detailing how AMC’s ninety-six theaters, containing a total of 1,993 stadium-style auditoria, must be retrofitted to comply with § 4.33.3. Over AMC’s objection, the district court did not exempt those theaters built before the date when AMC claims it could have reasonably known of the comparable viewing angles requirement. In fact, those first-generation theaters built in 1995 require the most significant retrofitting, including installing ramps, removing mini-risers and constructing new seats, whereas newer theaters, having been altered to respond to customer complaints, require less retrofitting. AMC also argued that any theater located in the Fifth Circuit should be exempted from the remedial order because the Fifth Circuit had held that § 4.33.3 did not require comparable viewing angles. Rejecting this argument, the district court held that its jurisdiction over all AMC theaters allowed it to fashion relief regardless of circuit boundaries.