Since the start of 2025, Aaron Murphy, represented primarily by Scripps Ranch-based attorney Ted S. Shin, has filed over 20 lawsuits against local restaurants and businesses, targeting spots like Coin-Op Game Room, Wings Empire, Taste of the Himalayas, The Original 40 Brewery, and The Handmade Chef Meal Prep Co. This legal onslaught, bolstered by additional cases from attorneys Brian Clifford Andrews and Michael A. Taibi, has owners crying foul, labeling it a predatory scam exploiting ADA compliance laws - and it's been going on for over a decade.
Violette Lewis, co-owner of The Handmade Chef Meal Prep Co., expressed her dismay in an email to SanDiegoVille, writing, "We have a pending lawsuit against us for ADA compliance that will affect us financially if it doesn’t get dismissed." She accuses Shin and his wheelchair-using client Murphy of targeting small businesses, knowing they lack the funds to fight back. "We have always been ADA compliant, we have the proof," Lewis stated, "but even going to court would cost upward of $5-15k and lots of our time. It's such a scam."
Violette Lewis, co-owner of The Handmade Chef Meal Prep Co., expressed her dismay in an email to SanDiegoVille, writing, "We have a pending lawsuit against us for ADA compliance that will affect us financially if it doesn’t get dismissed." She accuses Shin and his wheelchair-using client Murphy of targeting small businesses, knowing they lack the funds to fight back. "We have always been ADA compliant, we have the proof," Lewis stated, "but even going to court would cost upward of $5-15k and lots of our time. It's such a scam."
Her business joins a growing list of 2025 defendants, including Tandoori House, Pali Wine Company, Crown Point Coffee, Better Buzz Coffee Company, Negociant Winery, and Cork & Stem, all ensnared in Murphy’s legal web. Other restaurant defendants from 2024 filings include Jimmy Carters Mexican Cafe, Juice Alchemy, Cafe Bassam, Burger Lounge, Ichiban Sando, El Viejon Seafood, TJ Birrieria, City Tacos, Trader Joe's, Pieology, The Kebab Shop, Lancers, and many others.
San Diego Superior Court records reveal Murphy's litigation stretches back to at least December 2012, marking over 12 years of civil rights discrimination lawsuits. His pace has only intensified: approximately 10 suits in 2023, 37 in 2022, and 15 in 2021, alongside roughly 35 in 2024 and over 20 so far in 2025.
Shin, his frequent counsel, has been a key player in this strategy since at least 2017, when a March 24 10News investigation by Adam Racusin reported over 200 lawsuits filed by the attorney against Hillcrest businesses since January 2016.
Benjamin Nicholls, then-executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association, told 10News, "A lawsuit like this can really just put them out of business," noting the vague complaints left owners blindsided.
Attorney John Turner, representing a sued restaurant, added, "When they get sued they are frustrated because they think they’ve done the right thing, and frankly some of the cases I’ve looked at, they have."
Shin’s tactics drew further scrutiny in an April 23, 2017, 10News report, where certified access specialist David Stuber debunked all eight allegations in a lawsuit against Subterranean Coffee Boutique, filed by Shin's client Roy Mason. Owner Gene Padigos settled anyway, as fighting cost more than capitulating.
Shin’s tactics drew further scrutiny in an April 23, 2017, 10News report, where certified access specialist David Stuber debunked all eight allegations in a lawsuit against Subterranean Coffee Boutique, filed by Shin's client Roy Mason. Owner Gene Padigos settled anyway, as fighting cost more than capitulating.
That year, Congressman Scott Peters co-introduced federal legislation to curb such "predatory lawsuits," proposing a notice and cure period before litigation - a measure yet to pass. Shin has remained silent, dodging 10News inquiries in 2017 and offering no recent comment on Murphy’s escalating cases.
Murphy's lawsuits typically allege inaccessible facilities, seeking $4,000 per visit under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, plus attorney fees. For small businesses, the choice is stark: settle quickly or face crippling legal costs. Lewis estimated Murphy has 5-9 other pending cases, though court records show his 2025 tally alone exceeds 20. Defendants argue the claims are often baseless, yet the financial burden of proving compliance in court dwarfs settlement demands. With dozens of lawsuits since 2021 - and many more since 2012 - Murphy's campaign has become a persistent thorn in San Diego's economic side.
Local owners are now rallying to warn others. "Can we let other small businesses know that these things are happening?", Lewis asked SanDiegoVille, echoing a call to expose what many see as an exploitative racket. From Ocean Beach to North Park, the sentiment is palpable - Lewis called it "bullshit," a raw frustration shared by dozens of defendants over the years.
Murphy's lawsuits typically allege inaccessible facilities, seeking $4,000 per visit under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, plus attorney fees. For small businesses, the choice is stark: settle quickly or face crippling legal costs. Lewis estimated Murphy has 5-9 other pending cases, though court records show his 2025 tally alone exceeds 20. Defendants argue the claims are often baseless, yet the financial burden of proving compliance in court dwarfs settlement demands. With dozens of lawsuits since 2021 - and many more since 2012 - Murphy's campaign has become a persistent thorn in San Diego's economic side.
Local owners are now rallying to warn others. "Can we let other small businesses know that these things are happening?", Lewis asked SanDiegoVille, echoing a call to expose what many see as an exploitative racket. From Ocean Beach to North Park, the sentiment is palpable - Lewis called it "bullshit," a raw frustration shared by dozens of defendants over the years.
As Murphy and Shin's legal machine rolls on, San Diego's small businesses brace for the next summons, hoping awareness might spark change.
Originally published on March 23, 2025.
