How Court Case Rulings Around Website Access For the Disabled Can Legally Expose Your Website

by Brian Lawrence and John Curiel

Updated November 2025

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 has transformed the way businesses address the needs of disabled Americans for over 30 years. The landmark ADA legislation sought to protect individuals with disabilities in numerous areas, including employment, public services, and telecommunications. Since the rise of the World Wide Web, the ADA guidelines have grown to include services in the digital realm.

Thanks to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), businesses and web developers must add accessibility software to websites to aid those with disabilities. This includes text readers and easy navigation tools. It has long been thought that these guidelines apply to e-commerce websites in addition to the websites of brick-and-mortar businesses.

Neglecting to implement accessibility options on your wedding industry website can open you up to legal trouble, which may cost you financially and damage your reputation. The legal issue of website accessibility is at the forefront now more than ever, thanks to numerous court cases involving website accessibility testers, also known simply as “Testers.”

Who Are Web Accessibility Testers?

Testers are individuals who use their own time to test the accessibility features of websites and digital applications. Often, Testers have no real intention of using the service provided by the website in question. However, they may still pursue legal action against a business for discrimination if a website fails to accommodate disabled people according to Title III of the ADA.

Current Litigation Involving Accessibility Guidelines

A highly watched case, Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer, involved a self-appointed Tester who sued hundreds of hotels, alleging that their websites violated the ADA’s “Reservation Rule” by failing to provide enough detail about accessibility features.

The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the case in December 2023, declaring it moot after the plaintiff announced she would cease filing such lawsuits. But critically, the Court did not settle whether Testers have legal standing to sue, leaving businesses nationwide in continued uncertainty.

Meanwhile, accessibility litigation continued to rise. In the first half of 2025 alone, there were more than 2,000 ADA website lawsuits, a nearly 37% increase year over year.

In addition, Congress introduced the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act of 2025 (H.R. 3417), which proposes consistent federal standards and a “notice and cure” period before lawsuits can proceed. If passed, it could reshape how businesses handle accessibility compliance.

Why Wedding-Industry Websites Should Pay Attention

Wedding venues, planners, DJs, photographers, florists, and other vendors often rely heavily on their websites for booking, inquiries, and sales. This makes their sites “public-facing services,” and therefore potential targets for ADA Title III claims.

Even if your business is not physically located in a high-litigation state, the national nature of your audience increases your exposure to litigation. Many lawsuits are filed by plaintiffs who live in different states from the businesses they target.

What Your Website Should Do Now

To reduce legal risk and better serve all users, you should:

• Adopt WCAG 2.1 AA as your minimum accessibility benchmark.
• Begin preparing for WCAG 2.2, released by W3C in November 2023, which includes new success criteria related to focus appearance, drag-and-drop alternatives, minimum target size, and cognitive accessibility.
• Conduct a comprehensive accessibility audit using both automated tools and manual testing with assistive technology users.
• Include an Accessibility Statement in your website footer explaining your accessibility approach, standards and contact information.
• Document all remediation efforts so you can demonstrate a good-faith compliance strategy.
• Review third-party booking tools, payment processors, pop-ups and widgets to ensure they don’t create accessibility barriers.

Regional and Industry Risk Factors

Certain states and industries show higher litigation activity:

• New York, Florida and California continue to lead the nation in ADA website lawsuits, with Illinois also rising sharply in 2025.
• E-commerce websites, including retailers and vendors selling products or digital downloads, are being targeted at high rates.
• Small businesses, including independent vendors, are frequently sued because they lack the resources to maintain ongoing compliance.

Keep in mind: litigation is continuing to rise each year.

With more than 2,000 ADA digital-accessibility lawsuits already filed halfway through 2025, and no definitive Supreme Court ruling about Tester standing, the safest course is to bring your wedding-industry website into WCAG compliance now.

A more accessible website benefits all visitors, reflects your commitment to inclusivity, and protects you from legal exposure.

Don’t leave your website at risk of lawsuits due to non-compliance. If you’re uncertain about what steps to take, let’s talk.