Can My Business Be Sued Over Its Website?

Yes. Courts routinely treat business websites as places of public accommodation under ADA Title III, and thousands of website accessibility lawsuits and demand letters are filed every year — over 4,600 ADA Title III web lawsuits were filed in 2023 alone, with settlements commonly running $25,000 or more.

Who gets targeted

Plaintiffs’ firms scan the web for detectable failures — missing alt text, unlabeled forms, broken keyboard navigation — and file in volume. E-commerce, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, and financial services are the most-sued sectors, and small businesses are frequent targets precisely because they rarely have documentation showing any accessibility effort.

Do overlay widgets protect you?

No. Federal courts have repeatedly allowed lawsuits to proceed against businesses using overlays, and the DOJ has stated that overlays alone don’t make a site compliant. Real protection comes from code-level fixes and documented evidence of remediation.

What actually reduces your risk

Documented good-faith remediation is one of your strongest positions: a dated audit, a prioritized fix plan, evidence of fixes shipped, and ongoing monitoring. If you’ve already received a demand letter, don’t ignore it and don’t admit liability — see our step-by-step answer in the FAQ. We’re not a law firm and don’t give legal advice; consult a qualified attorney for legal strategy.