Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuits are on the rise. Each year the number filed against eCommerce stores increases, with the latest data from 2023 showing no signs of slowing down. Due to this, more and more website owners are facing court cases and potentially heavy fines.
Therefore, if you own an eCommerce store, you need to be aware of the ADA, how it could affect your site, and what the implications of that could be.
While the act was conceived in good faith, specialist law firms reportedly send out hundreds of letters to websites they believe are non-compliant with the ADA, seeking settlements and litigation.
And it’s not just large companies that are being targeted. 77% of lawsuits are filed against organizations with under $25 million in revenue. Furthermore, the eCommerce sector makes up 84% of all ADA lawsuits.
If you do get caught up in an ADA lawsuit, average settlements range from $5,000 to $20,000. In some cases, they can reach as high as six figures, according to EcomBack. That’s not including the associated costs of dealing with a claim or lawsuit, such as hiring a defence attorney, filing fees, remediation costs, and so on. Not to mention the stress, inconvenience, and potential negative publicity that these lawsuits can generate.
Due to all this, an ADA lawsuit is something you want to avoid at all costs.
In this article, we cover what the ADA is, what can happen if your site isn’t ADA-compliant, and how you can audit your store and rectify any issues that are detected.