Serial plaintiff
A serial plaintiff is an individual who files large numbers of ADA Title III lawsuits — typically through a small group of plaintiff law firms specializing in disability-rights litigation.
Detailed explanation
Serial plaintiffs are a defining feature of US ADA Title III litigation. A small number of named plaintiffs file the majority of website-accessibility cases, often via firms like Stein Saks (NY), Gottlieb & Associates (NY), Mizrahi Kroub (NY), and Pacific Trial Attorneys (CA).
Courts have repeatedly upheld the standing of serial plaintiffs under the ADA — the law explicitly grants private right of action and does not require an attempted purchase or prior visit. The plaintiff need only have a "real intent" to access the website in the future.
Some plaintiff firms use automated scanning tools to find target websites, then file standardized complaints in bulk. This is legal but ethically contested; courts in some jurisdictions have started imposing additional pleading requirements to slow bulk filings.
How this applies to Shopify stores
Small Shopify stores are over-represented in serial-plaintiff dockets because they are likely to settle quickly. The defense playbook: respond to the demand letter promptly, fix the cited violations (AccessComply automates this), document the remediation, and either settle on cleared-violation terms or move to dismiss based on mootness.
Primary source: adatitleiii.com