California businesses face 800+/year ADA website accessibility lawsuits annually. Under Unruh Civil Rights Act, CA businesses must ensure their websites meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards or face statutory damages, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief.
Lawsuits per year
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California's Unruh Act provides $4,000 minimum statutory damages per violation per visit, making it extremely attractive for serial plaintiffs. State courts have jurisdiction over any website accessible to California residents.
Multiple California courts have applied the Unruh Act to website-only businesses, with damages exceeding $100,000 in serial plaintiff cases.
ADA compliance guide
ADA compliance guide
ADA compliance guide
ADA compliance guide
ADA compliance guide
The Unruh Civil Rights Act provides a minimum of $4,000 in statutory damages per violation per visit, with no cap on the number of visits a plaintiff can claim. A serial plaintiff visiting your site multiple times can stack damages rapidly, and attorney's fees are recoverable on top of statutory damages.
Yes. If your website is accessible to California residents, you can be subject to the Unruh Act regardless of where your business is physically located. California courts have asserted jurisdiction over out-of-state companies whose websites serve California consumers.
California ranks second nationally with over 800 ADA web lawsuits per year, behind only New York. The combination of the Unruh Act's generous statutory damages and a large population of active plaintiff attorneys makes California one of the riskiest states for website accessibility litigation.
While the Unruh Act does not explicitly name WCAG, California courts routinely reference WCAG 2.1 AA as the benchmark for determining whether a website is accessible. Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA is the most reliable way to demonstrate compliance and defend against Unruh Act claims in California.
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