September 2021 Digital Accessibility Lawsuit Information

• 136 website accessibility lawsuits were filed in September.
• Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Durables & Apparel and Consumer Staples were targeted most.
• 4 Plaintiffs filed 45% of the month's website accessibility lawsuits.
• PACIFIC TRIAL ATTORNEYS filed the most complaints in September with 42 lawsuits in California.
• Most lawsuits (47%) were filed in California with New York coming in second at 46%
• We detected that 14% of litigated websites in September are using a Third-party accessibility Overlay tool.

 

Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Durables & Apparel and Consumer Staples were targeted most in September with a combined total of 72 lawsuits (thats 52.95%)

Most lawsuits (47%) were filed in California with New York coming in second at 46%

Third-Party Overlays

We detected that 14% of litigated websites in September are using a Third-party accessibility Overlay tool.

Typically overlays, or widgets, apply a third-party's source code to the existing webpage in an effort to change the user experience by overriding or altering elements of the page. Overlays are often used in-place of manual identification and resolution of accessibility barriers. Because such overlays try to hide underlying accessibility issues, their effectiveness is debated and their use seems to promote the idea that website operators need not concern themselves with the accessibility of their webpages. There has been an increase in the number of lawsuits against websites that use third-party overlays.

Plaintiffs Who Filed the Most Lawsuits

RUSTY RENDON is the most litigious website accessibility plaintiff, filing 17 lawsuits in September.

PACIFIC TRIAL ATTORNEYS filed the most complaints in September with 42 lawsuits in California. GOTTLIEB & ASSOCIATES came in second place with 35 filings in New York.