New York had more website lawsuits than any other state.
1,021 in federal court in 2025, about 1 in 3 of every website accessibility lawsuit in the country.
Fewer federal cases doesn’t mean fewer claims
1,021 lawsuits Filed in New York federal courts in 2025
Down 35% from 1,564 in 2024, and from a peak of 2,560 in 2022. Still the busiest state; Florida was second with 961.
Not counted Cases moved to state court
New York federal judges now ask for more proof that the person suing really tried to use the site. Many plaintiffs filed in New York and New Jersey state courts instead, and those cases are left out of the count above. So are demand letters that settled before anything was filed.
Online-only too No storefront is no shield
The federal appeals court for New York has not decided whether the ADA covers businesses that only exist online, but most New York federal judges who have ruled on it said it does.
Source: Seyfarth Shaw lawsuit count, March 25, 2026. The 2022 figure is from the chart in that report. Counts for every state: ADA website lawsuits by state.
What we found on 34 New York business sites
Dentists, law offices, salons, vets, hotels, bakeries and shops, 12 of them in New York City, scanned in October 2026. Median score 81.5 out of 100 (lowest 31, highest 94). These five problems came up most, and each one has a free tool that shows you where it is.
20 of 34 Text too faint to read
Light gray on white, or white on a pale photo. Make the text darker or its background stronger.
16 of 34 Links with no name
Usually the Facebook, Instagram or phone icons, and the logo. A screen reader says just “link”.
6 of 34 Embedded maps or videos with no title
The Google map on the contact page is the usual one.
5 of 34 Zooming in is blocked on phones
One setting in the page header stops people from pinching to enlarge the text.
4 of 34 Photos with no description
Menu photos, product photos and the team picture are read out as nothing, or as a file name.
Every site in the sample had at least one problem (that is how they were picked), so these numbers describe sites with problems, not every site in New York. 34 sites is a small sample.
If you run a business in New York
Run the free scan, fix the top few, and keep the before-and-after scans so you have a record of what you fixed and when. Want to look yourself? The 15-minute checklist. What the law says: does the ADA apply to my website. Already got a letter? What it means. Thinking about a widget instead? What we found on sites that use one.
Or let us fix it
A person fixes the 10 most important issues in your site itself, then re-scans to show the change.
We fix your top 10
$149one-time
Easiest first step
Done for you. We fix the 10 most important issues from your scan, then re-scan to show the change.
- Fixes made by a person, not a widget
- Works with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify & more
- Before-and-after report
- Anything we can’t change on your platform comes with step-by-step instructions
Check your site first
Not legal advice. Automated scans catch a portion of accessibility issues and are not a legal compliance certification. For a legal question, ask a New York lawyer.
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