New York ADA Website Compliance Guide

🚨 ADA COMPLIANCE WEBSITE NEW YORK: NATION'S ENFORCEMENT EPICENTER

New York leads the United States in website accessibility enforcement: 1,564 federal ADA lawsuits filed in 2024 (highest of any state). Mid-year 2025 shows 837 cases - trending toward 20% increase. Government entities face unprecedented compliance pressure under both federal ADA Title II and New York state laws.

⚖️ Triple Legal Jeopardy - NY State Laws: • NY State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL): Broader disability protections than federal ADA, allows compensatory damages • NYC Human Rights Law (NYCHRL): Civil penalties up to $125,000 (unintentional) or $250,000 (intentional violations) • NY Civil Rights Law: Statutory damages, attorney fees, and injunctive relief • All three laws have lower standing requirements than federal ADA

🎯 2025 Game Changer - State Court Migration: Following federal court rulings requiring stricter standing proof, plaintiff attorneys increasingly file under NYSHRL/NYCHRL in state courts. State courts have lower barriers to standing and allow monetary damages unavailable under federal ADA. This shift makes New York the most dangerous jurisdiction for website accessibility litigation.

📊 Serial Plaintiff Ecosystem: • 66% of 2024 cases filed by just 5 law firms • 41% of 2024 filings (961 cases) were against previously-sued entities • Three-year statute of limitations (extended Feb 2024) gives plaintiffs expanded filing window • "Cookie-cutter" template complaints under heightened judicial scrutiny in 2025

🏛️ Government Entity Compliance Requirements: DOJ's April 2024 Title II final rule mandates WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance: • April 24, 2026 deadline for entities serving 50,000+ population • April 26, 2027 for smaller municipalities and special districts • 3,366 NY government entities must comply (1,523 cities + 62 counties + 731 school districts + 1,050 special districts)

💰 Settlement Economics: Average government settlement: $55,000. NYC region settlements frequently exceed $100,000. Attorney fees often equal or exceed base settlements. State law violations add compensatory damages and civil penalties on top of federal exposure.

🚫 Accessibility Overlay Warning: 25% of 2024 lawsuits explicitly cited accessibility widgets/overlays as barriers rather than solutions. FTC fined AccessiBe $1M in January 2025 for deceptive compliance claims. Automated overlay products do NOT provide safe harbor from litigation.

⏰ Critical Action Timeline: With 837 cases filed through mid-2025 and state court migration accelerating, New York government entities face existential compliance risk. Early WCAG 2.1 AA remediation essential. Emergency compliance costs 3-4x normal rates. Defer at your peril.