New Data Shows Website Accessibility Lawsuits Hit Record 4,928 in 2025

Website accessibility lawsuits filed against U.S. businesses reached a record 4,928 in 2025, and 2026 is on pace to shatter that record with an estimated 6,176 filings, according to new research released by Make It Loud, a North Atlanta digital marketing agency.

The data, drawn from UsableNet's digital accessibility lawsuit reports, Seyfarth Shaw's ADA Title III Litigation Tracker, and related accessibility research, reveals a litigation wave that is growing faster than many business owners realize and targeting smaller companies than many assume.

Roughly 67% of businesses sued over website accessibility in recent tracking had under $25 million in annual revenue. E-commerce and retail businesses bear the heaviest burden, accounting for an estimated 69% to 79% of all digital accessibility lawsuits filed.

The commonly cited average settlement for a website accessibility lawsuit runs approximately $30,000 before legal fees or the cost of required site remediation. More than 25,000 such lawsuits were filed cumulatively between 2018 and 2025, and plaintiffs have filed more than 4,000 digital accessibility lawsuits every year since 2021.

One counterintuitive finding involves the accessibility tools many businesses have already installed. According to a 2026 analysis by AudioEye, 38.5% of businesses sued over website accessibility already had some form of accessibility solution, often a third-party overlay widget, running on their site when the lawsuit arrived.

"This is not a hypothetical risk and it is not a large-corporation problem," said Make It Loud. "The data is specific: small businesses are the majority of defendants, widgets are not a legal shield, and the pace of lawsuits is still climbing."

This release summarizes a research report for informational purposes and does not provide legal advice.