California is a major hotspot for ADA website accessibility lawsuits. Businesses across industries including retail, professional services, hospitality, and e-commerce are being targeted for accessibility claims.
Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), courts increasingly treat websites and mobile apps as places of public accommodation. In California, that exposure is heightened with plaintiffs often leveraging the Unruh Civil Rights Act, leading to high settlements and legal fees for non-compliant sites. Most claims arise from preventable issues such as lack of alt text, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility.
The leading guidelines for website accessibility are published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). For California compliance, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is widely recognized as the practical benchmark for website accessibility.
We recommend that you review the accessibility of your websites and address state-specific mandates. California businesses following WCAG 2.1 AA can provide full and equal digital access to customers and users. In our experience, early evaluation and remediation are far more cost effective than defending an ADA and Unruh Act lawsuit, and demonstrate your commitment to serving all customers.
