Free tool
ADA lawsuit cost calculator
What does an ADA Title III website-accessibility lawsuit really cost a Shopify merchant? Public settlement data + Seyfarth Shaw defense-fee distributions + PACER consent-decree filings, run through your specific situation. Free, no signup.
per ADA Title III lawsuit, all-in
| Cost component | Range |
|---|---|
| Settlement (paid to plaintiff) | $7,000 – $35,000 |
| Defense legal fees | $10,000 – $50,000 |
| Mandatory remediation | $5,000 – $20,000 |
| Ongoing monitoring (12-18 mo consent decree) | $2,000 – $10,000 |
| Founder time (depositions, documents, calls) | 40 – 120 hrs |
Lower the estimate by remediating now
Active source-code remediation + scan history + published accessibility statement is the operative legal defense. AccessComply scans your store free.
FAQ
Where do these dollar ranges come from?
Settlement ranges from UsableNet's 2025 mid-year ADA Title III digital accessibility lawsuit report. Defense-fee ranges from Seyfarth Shaw's ADA Title III annual tracker and 2024 surveys of accessibility-defense counsel. Mandatory remediation and monitoring costs from public consent-decree filings on PACER. Founder-hour estimates from defense-counsel surveys.
Why do California and New York increase the estimate?
California's Unruh Civil Rights Act allows $4,000 statutory damages per documented visit by a person with a disability. New York's State and City Human Rights Laws layer additional per-visit damages. Both states' attorneys frequently bundle the federal ADA claim with these state-law claims, raising the effective settlement value above the federal baseline.
Why does an installed accessibility overlay raise the estimate?
UsableNet's 2025 mid-year report found 22.6% of websites sued for ADA violations had an accessibility overlay installed at the time of suit. Overlays do not modify source code, do not produce ADA compliance, and have been cited by some plaintiffs' counsel as evidence the merchant was aware of accessibility issues but chose a superficial fix. The FTC fined accessiBe $1M in January 2025 for deceptive marketing of overlay compliance claims.
How accurate is the discount for active remediation?
Active source-code remediation, documented scan history, and a published accessibility statement are recognized legal defenses in ADA Title III settlement negotiations. Defense counsel routinely cite these to negotiate settlements toward the lower end of the range. The 15% discount applied here is conservative; well-documented remediation can drive settlements lower.
Is this calculator legal advice?
No. This calculator estimates ranges based on public lawsuit data; it is not legal advice and does not predict the outcome of any specific case. If you have received an ADA demand letter, retain ADA Title III defense counsel — see our demand letter response guide.