Year after year, the large majority of website accessibility lawsuits are filed in just a few states. The pattern is driven less by where businesses are and more by where the case law and plaintiff's firms are most established. Pick your state to see roughly where it sits.
The three tiers
High-volume filing states
New York · Florida · California
The overwhelming share of digital ADA suits is filed here, thanks to favorable case law and concentrated plaintiff's firms. California adds state-law damages on top of the federal claim.
Elevated states
PA · TX · GA · IL · NJ · AZ · MA · CO
A meaningful and growing share of filings. Activity here tends to follow the precedents set in the high-volume states.
Everywhere else
All remaining states
Fewer filings — but not zero. The ADA is federal, demand letters cross state lines freely, and a plaintiff can often reach a business whose site serves their state.
Why these states?
- Established case law. Federal courts in New York and Florida have issued rulings that plaintiffs find favorable, making those venues attractive.
- Specialized plaintiff's firms. A relatively small number of firms file a large share of cases, and they operate where they've had success.
- State laws that stack. California's Unruh Civil Rights Act can attach statutory damages to an ADA-based claim, raising the stakes per case.
Related guides
- Estimate your own exposure — the interactive risk calculator.
- Got a demand letter? The 48-hour playbook.
Tiers reflect widely-reported filing patterns from industry litigation tracking (e.g. UsableNet annual reports); they are directional, not a ranking of exact counts, and shift year to year. This is not legal advice.