Accessibility Lawsuit

The number of website accessibility lawsuits filed in federal court increased 12% from 2021 to 2022. Here’s what your organization needs to know.

Web accessibility lawsuits skyrocketed during the pandemic. Here’s a look at a pair of important cases.

These web accessibility lawsuits set important precedents for ADA compliance. Here’s what we can learn.

Here's everything you need to know about ADA compliance laws and how to protect your website and business against compliance lawsuits.

The education industry is facing another challenge as the school year begins: a skyrocketing number of digital accessibility lawsuits. In July and the first week of August, we have tracked 35 federal lawsuits targeting the education industry filed in U.S. Federal District Court. To put that in perspective, there were just two federal lawsuits the entire first half of 2020. That’s a 1,750% increase, with new cases filed almost every day. If your institution doesn’t have a strong position on digital accessibility, there could be trouble ahead.

A lawsuit filed against Gimlet Media, a leading digital media company, recently garnered plenty of attention both within and beyond the website accessibility community. This lawsuit, among others, elevates the importance of digital accessibility being a core capability of any modern digital platform, especially as companies are required to comply with legislation such as Title III of the ADA and the California Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Lawsuits against companies suspected of flouting the online accessibility requirements related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are now a regular feature of courtrooms in the US. From 2017 to 2018, the number of cases surged and they continued to increase throughout 2019. To help companies better understand the risk of litigation, we continuously track ADA-related proceedings. So, how is the picture changing as we start a new year?

If the issue of digital accessibility is on your radar, you may be closely following the now-infamous Domino’s digital accessibility case. If not, let’s get you up to speed… Three years ago, Guillermo Robles, who is blind, filed suit against Domino’s claiming its website and mobile app are not accessible to those who rely on a screen reader to navigate online content. Robles claims inaccessible online content equates to a violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

What You Need to Know: Educational establishments are being investigated in response to complaints received by the Office for Civil Rights. Complaints on disability discrimination were high with a focus on website accessibility. The U.S. Department of Education’s has reached settlements in response to complaints received.

The following list summarizes some of the many high profile Web Accessibility Lawsuits and complaints filed in association with Finance & Banking industries.

Affordable Care Act. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is implementing a Meaningful Access Rule. The Meaningful Access Rule will apply to the ACA’s Section 1557’s anti-discrimination policies. This section defines that any health care provider that receives funding from the federal government must not discriminate any individual on the basis of race, color, nationality, sex, age, or disability. The new regulations will require theses health care providers to provide physical and Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) accessibility.