UPDATED 2024 DATA

ADA Website Lawsuit Statistics
2024 Data

A data-driven snapshot of ADA Title III website litigation in the United States: filings by year, by industry, by state, and the WCAG violations most cited in demand letters.

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Headline statistics

Aggregated from public case trackers (Seyfarth Shaw, UsableNet) and defense-side industry surveys. Figures reflect federal filings and settled-case estimates for the 2023 reporting year.

4,605
Federal ADA website lawsuits filed
2023 · Seyfarth Shaw ADA Title III tracker
25,000+
Estimated demand letters sent per year
2023 · UsableNet Year-End Report
$25,000
Average settlement
2023 · UsableNet / industry surveys
$75,000+
Full litigation cost (median)
2023 · Defense counsel estimates
97%
Lawsuits involving WCAG violations
2023 · UsableNet
20%
Repeat defendants (multi-lawsuit)
2023 · Seyfarth Shaw

ADA lawsuits by industry

E-commerce dominates the filings, but no industry is immune. Plaintiff firms run automated WCAG scanners across thousands of sites daily and follow the data wherever it leads.

77%

E-commerce & retail

Most-targeted category. Shopping carts, product pages, checkout flows.

6%

Food service & restaurants

Online menus, ordering systems, reservation widgets.

5%

Hospitality & travel

Booking engines, third-party widgets, loyalty portals.

4%

Healthcare & wellness

Patient portals, appointment forms, insurance lookups.

3%

Education & training

LMS platforms, application forms, tuition pages.

3%

Banking & financial services

Online banking, credit applications, statement downloads.

2%

Other (B2B, services, entertainment)

Professional services, ticketing, media.

Source: UsableNet 2023 Year-End Report. Percentages rounded.

Top plaintiff states

Federal ADA website filings are heavily concentrated. Three states account for roughly 95% of the total, with New York alone responsible for nearly three out of four filings.

ADA website lawsuit filings by US state
StateShare of filingsContext
New York70%SDNY and EDNY — plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction, dense concentration of filing firms.
California15%Unruh Civil Rights Act pairs with ADA, enabling state-court filings with statutory damages.
Florida10%Southern District of Florida — active plaintiff bar, rising trend since 2020.
Other states5%Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas — growing steadily.

Year-over-year trend (2020–2024)

Despite increased awareness and remediation spending, annual filings have more than doubled since 2020. The plaintiff-firm business model is working.

2020
2,058
Federal ADA Title III website filings
2021
2,352
Federal ADA Title III website filings
2022
3,255
Federal ADA Title III website filings
2023
4,605
Federal ADA Title III website filings
2024
4,800+ (projected)
Federal ADA Title III website filings

Source: Seyfarth Shaw ADA Title III lawsuit tracker (2020–2023); 2024 figure is a midyear projection.

Most-cited WCAG violations in demand letters

These five Success Criteria appear in the vast majority of ADA website demand letters. They are easy for automated scanners to detect, and hard for defendants to dispute on the merits.

WCAG 1.1.1 — Non-text Content (missing alt text)
Cited in 88% of demand letters
WCAG 1.4.3 — Contrast (Minimum) — 4.5:1 ratio
Cited in 76% of demand letters
WCAG 2.1.1 — Keyboard Accessible
Cited in 61% of demand letters
WCAG 3.3.2 — Labels or Instructions (unlabeled forms)
Cited in 58% of demand letters
WCAG 2.4.2 — Page Titled (missing or duplicate titles)
Cited in 42% of demand letters

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Frequently asked questions

How many ADA website lawsuits are filed each year in the US?
According to Seyfarth Shaw's ADA Title III tracker, more than 4,600 website accessibility lawsuits were filed in US federal courts in 2023, and annual volume has exceeded 2,000 every year since 2018. The total is substantially higher when you include state court filings in New York and California, plus the tens of thousands of pre-litigation demand letters that are settled privately and never appear in any public database.
Which US states file the most ADA website lawsuits?
New York accounts for roughly 70% of federal ADA website filings, followed by California (about 15%) and Florida (about 10%). New York's prominence reflects its plaintiff-friendly case law, a concentration of specialized law firms, and the Southern and Eastern District courts routinely accepting website claims under Title III of the ADA.
What is the average settlement amount for an ADA website lawsuit?
Public settlements and industry surveys (UsableNet, Seyfarth Shaw) place typical settlements between $20,000 and $50,000, with $25,000 to $35,000 being the most commonly reported range. Litigated cases that reach judgment can exceed $350,000 once attorneys' fees, remediation costs, and consent decrees are factored in. Serial plaintiffs target companies willing to settle quickly because the economics favor fast resolution.
Which industries are targeted most often in ADA website claims?
E-commerce and retail are the most frequently sued sectors (roughly 75% of filings per UsableNet). Food service, hospitality, healthcare, education, and financial services round out the top categories. Any business with a public-facing website serving consumers is a potential target — there is no size threshold and no safe harbor based on revenue or employee count.
Are ADA lawsuit numbers still growing in 2024?
Yes. Despite a brief dip in 2022, federal filings rebounded in 2023 and continue to grow in 2024, driven by automated WCAG scanning tools that plaintiff firms use to identify new targets at scale. The shift toward state court filings (particularly in New York) and the expansion into mobile apps and third-party integrations means that the true total is likely underreported.

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Scrutia provides technical accessibility audits. This is not legal advice. For ADA legal matters, consult an attorney.