Website accessibility lawsuits

Thousands of ADA website suits are filed in US federal and state courts every year, mostly against businesses with a public-facing site that sells or books something. Here's the shape of it, without the scare tactics.

How it usually goes

1. A demand letter arrives, often from a firm that files many similar cases, listing WCAG failures found with an automated tool.
2. It asks for a settlement (commonly a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars) plus a commitment to fix the site.
3. Most cases settle. Fixing the site is required either way.

Who gets targeted

• Restaurants, retail, hotels, clinics, gyms, salons: anything with online ordering, booking or a store.
• Sites with obvious automated failures: missing alt text, unlabeled forms, inaccessible menus.
• Sites running an overlay widget, which some filers treat as a sign the owner knows about the problem.

What reduces the risk

• Fix the findings an automated scan shows; those are what demand letters quote.
• Make booking and checkout usable by keyboard and screen reader.
• Publish an accessibility statement with a contact, and respond to reports quickly.
• Keep a record of what you fixed and when.

If you receive a letter

Don't ignore it, don't reply yourself, and don't rush to install a widget. Talk to a lawyer who handles ADA Title III matters, and get the site fixed in parallel.

ADA.gov: Guidance on web accessibility and the ADA · checked Oct 2026

This page is general information, not legal advice, and isn't a substitute for a lawyer.