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(Thursday, February 10 09:34 AM)
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)

A wheelchair-bound attorney who wants to be on "The Apprentice" is suing the show's producers to ensure he gets a fair shot.
James Schottel Jr., a St. Louis lawyer who is paralyzed from the waist down, claims the application for the NBC show may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act by stating that prospective contestants must be in "excellent physical and mental health."

He's asking a federal court to grant him an injunction that would allow him and other disabled people to be considered for the show in time for a casting call in St. Louis on Friday (Feb. 11), which Schottel plans to attend. He is not seeking damages in the suit, only a ruling that those with disabilities cannot be excluded from the casting process, according to wire reports.

Schottel contends that "The Apprentice" falls under the purview of the Americans with Disabilities Act because the show bills itself as a "15-week job interview." The series puts candidates through a series of tasks with the goal of winning a job with real-estate mogul Donald Trump; a future incarnation of the series will feature Martha Stewart in Trump's role.
Trump Productions and Mark Burnett Productions, the two companies that produce the series, are named as defendants; NBC is not. Neither company has commented on the suit.

Wednesday, Mar 09, 2005

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A quadriplegic lawyer settled his lawsuit against producers of NBC's The Apprentice after they agreed to make clear the program accepts applications from the disabled.

James Schottel Jr., whose federal lawsuit claimed the show's online application was discriminatory in requiring "excellent physical" health of would-be contestants, said Wednesday that producers agreed to insert a sentence into the show's rules encouraging people with disabilities to try out.

Schottel said the new language reads: "All applicants who believe they meet our criteria, including persons with disabilities, are welcome and encouraged to apply to be a participant."

"I think that's satisfactory," Schottel said. "I'm still a fan of the show, and I was pleased that the online application is going to be modified and that they have shown they have a commitment to consider people with disabilities. That was my goal from the beginning."

Mark Burnett, who produces the show along with star Donald Trump, said: "It was never our intent to exclude from consideration persons with disabilities."

"Even before we learned of this lawsuit, our staff in New York had already interviewed three persons in wheelchairs," Burnett said. "We continue to urge all potential participants, including those with disabilities, who are interested to apply for the show."

As part of the deal, neither Los Angeles-based Mark Burnett Productions Inc. nor Trump Productions LLC admit any wrongdoing.

Schottel never sought monetary damages. He sued here last month, seeking an injunction that would force The Apprentice producers to drop requirements that exclude him and "others similarly situated" from being considered for the show.

Schottel had applied to try out for the show when auditions were staged last month on the Casino Queen gaming boat across the Mississippi River in East St. Louis, Ill.



© The Canadian Press, 2005