Web accessibility lawsuits are a major driver for U.S. companies to prioritize ADA compliance. In this post, we take a look into the most recent trends in accessibility-related lawsuits through the end of 2024.
Web Accessibility Lawsuits by Year
According to UsableNet, about 4,000 accessibility lawsuits related to websites, apps, and other digital properties, were filed in 2024 in state and federal courts. Although the annual number of federal digital accessibility lawsuits declined slightly for the first time, New York and California suits continued to grow.
2024 Web Accessibility Lawsuits by State
State-level ADA lawsuits continue to rise with New York making up over half of all lawsuits. This is in part because companies doing business in New York can face lawsuits there, regardless of where they are headquartered. Six of the ten law firms handling the majority of plaintiff website ADA suits are New York-based. California and Florida followed behind.
2024 Web Accessibility Lawsuits by Industry
Businesses that sell via eCommerce are at a much higher risk of a lawsuit, largely in part due to the complexity such websites entail. The food service industry is a notable runner-up, for similar reasons.
Web Accessibility Widgets Do Not Protect Against Lawsuits
The number of cases and the percentage of cases filed against companies using web accessibility widgets continues to increase year over year. In 2024, 1,023 Companies using one of these widgets were sued for accessibility issues. That’s more than one in four of all ADA lawsuits, up from one in five in 2023.
Other Notable Trends from the 2024 Digital Accessibility Lawsuits
- High risk of multiple lawsuits
41% of the federal court cases filed are against companies hit with previous digital accessibility lawsuits - Small Businesses still a large target
67% of the cases filed were against companies with an annual revenue of less than $25M. - Top 500 among biggest culprits
30% of lawsuits were filed against eCommerce retailers ranking in the top 500.
Web ADA Lawsuits Data Source: UsableNet. UsableNet tracks all digital accessibility lawsuits involving websites, mobile apps, and video content. Their report covers all cases filed across the 11 federal circuit courts under the ADA, plus cases filled in key individual state courts including New York and California
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