$25,000? Website Accessibility Lawsuits Cost Money

(Updated for 2024)

If you targeted in website accessibility litigation, $25,000 is a conservative final tab after everything is finished.

Here’s a generalized itemized bill that will apply to many businesses:

• $10,000 plaintiff’s law firm fees (settlement amount)
• $2,000-$5,500 your defense attorney fees
• $5,000-$15,000 accessibility audit and remediation

And that is with no embellishment whatsoever; those are very real price tags once the dust clears on a settlement.

How to Lower Your Settlement Cost

Many website owners are concerned with the dollar amount on the actual settlement with the plaintiffs law firm, but it’s very important to pay attention to the non-money terms of the agreement.

Here are some factors that can play a part in the settlement:

• Defense attorney experience
• Location of the lawsuit (New York is the most expensive)
• Strength of the case (state of accessibility)
• Your revenue / ability to pay

As for the non-money terms, be very careful with what you agree to because strict terms can lead to high prices and unfavorable conditions.

For example, quarterly audits are too frequent (an audit by itself can take a month to complete).

As another example, it’s a pain to be reporting into a plaintiff’s lawyer on the status of your accessibility every quarter.

Also, an audit and remediation alone can cost $5,000 — $15,000 or more.

For affordable done-for-you services, read about my ADA Compliance Program.

Meeting Settlement Terms

If you and your defense attorney need help relating the settlement terms to actual dollar amounts, sign up for a consultation with me.

I can quickly help you understand the cost and your best path forward.

Note that claims may be brought under laws other than the ADA such as the California Unruh Act and New York State/City Human Rights Laws.

Litigation Prevention

Of course, the best case scenario is you remediate your website and are never targeted by a plaintiff’s law firm.

My ADA Compliance Course is specifically designed to reduce your risk of a lawsuit as you complete the lessons in the course.

The course provides step-by-step instructions and is available on-demand. Sign up for the course now at ADACompliance.net.