WCAG 2.2 AA · Automated Scanning
New Jersey website accessibility lawsuits: what the 2025 numbers actually show.
New Jersey businesses are covered by federal ADA Title III and by the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), a state law that allows compensatory and punitive damages with no statutory cap, something federal ADA claims alone cannot provide. New Jersey's own federal court filings actually fell in 2025, to 22 from 37 the year before. That decline does not mean falling risk. It tracks a broader shift of plaintiffs moving cases into New Jersey state court instead, specifically to reach the NJLAD's stronger damages. Here is what that means if you run a site based in, or selling to, New Jersey.
Last updated October 2026.
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The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, and why the federal count is misleading
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq.) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, among other protected categories, in places of public accommodation. Unlike federal ADA Title III, which offers only an injunction and attorney's fees, the NJLAD allows a plaintiff to recover compensatory and punitive damages with no statutory cap. That single difference is the reason New Jersey's real litigation picture cannot be read from the federal filing count alone.
New York's own federal courts have grown more demanding about what a plaintiff must show to establish standing in website accessibility cases. Seyfarth Shaw's own tracking specifically identifies New Jersey state court, alongside New York state court, as a primary destination for the filing activity that shift has displaced. A New Jersey business watching its state's federal lawsuit count fall from 37 to 22 in a single year could reasonably read that as declining risk. The more accurate read is that plaintiffs have simply moved to the venue where New Jersey's own law gives them more to recover.
New Jersey filings are also frequently brought by law firms already active in New York, often as a second, parallel claim against a business that operates in or sells to both states. A New York demand letter or lawsuit against a multi-state operator is a real signal that a New Jersey claim, under the NJLAD specifically, may follow.
New Jersey lawsuit filings and settlement data (2025)
| Year | New Jersey federal website accessibility lawsuits | Change from prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 37 | |
| 2025 | 22 | down about 41 percent |
This table shows federal court activity only. It does not include New Jersey state court filings, where NJLAD's damages provisions give plaintiffs a real financial reason to file instead, and where a meaningful share of New Jersey's real litigation activity is understood to have moved.
Typical demand-letter and settlement ranges
Typical demand-letter and settlement ranges, per defense-side reporting rather than any official court record: commonly $10,000 to $40,000. Because the NJLAD allows uncapped compensatory and punitive damages, a case that proceeds under New Jersey state law specifically carries a real possibility of running well above that range, more so than a comparable federal-only claim. Axeazy does not predict the outcome of any individual case.
Source: Seyfarth Shaw's 2024 and 2025 ADA Title III website accessibility tracking reports; New Jersey Law Against Discrimination statute text.
Which businesses in New Jersey are actually being targeted
Industry
Retail and e-commerce sites see the most claims in New Jersey.
The New York connection
A meaningful share of New Jersey filings come from firms also active in New York, often as a second claim against a business already facing a New York case. A business that sells into both states carries both states' exposure at once, not just whichever state it happens to be based in.
Filing pattern
A small number of law firms and repeat plaintiffs are responsible for a large share of New Jersey's filings. We are not naming specific firms or plaintiffs. That detail changes constantly, and Axeazy cannot independently verify it case by case.
If you have received a demand letter and are not sure what happens next, see the step by step walkthrough on what an ADA demand letter actually asks for and how to respond.
Axeazy fixes 14 categories of WCAG violations at the code level, not with an overlay widget, including the alt text, form label, and color contrast issues most often cited in demand letters. See what Axeazy fixes and what it does not.
New Jersey website accessibility: FAQ.
Do small businesses in New Jersey have to meet website accessibility requirements?
Yes. The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination applies to places of public accommodation, alongside federal ADA Title III, and size alone has not been treated as an exemption. New Jersey's law allows damages with no statutory cap, unlike federal ADA claims on their own.
Why did New Jersey's federal website lawsuit count fall in 2025?
Federal filings fell from 37 in 2024 to 22 in 2025, but this does not reflect falling risk. Plaintiffs have been shifting cases into New Jersey state court instead, where the NJLAD's uncapped damages give them more to recover than a federal ADA claim alone provides.
What does the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination allow that federal law doesn't?
Federal ADA Title III generally provides only an order to fix the site and payment of attorney's fees. The NJLAD adds compensatory and punitive damages with no statutory cap.
What does a New Jersey accessibility demand letter usually ask for?
New Jersey letters usually cite Title III alongside the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which allows uncapped compensatory and punitive damages. If your business also operates in New York, check whether a New York letter or lawsuit already names you, since many New Jersey claims are a second front against the same business.
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Scope of this analysis
SCOPE LIMITATION: This report documents violations identified by automated WCAG 2.2 AA scanning using axe-core v4.11.0. Automated tools identify approximately 30 to 40% of all WCAG criteria. This report does not constitute legal advice, guarantee ADA compliance, or protect against legal action. ADA compliance is a legal determination made by courts. For full WCAG conformance assessment, engage an IAAP-certified accessibility professional.
Sources: Seyfarth Shaw, “Federal Court Website Accessibility Lawsuit Filings Bounce Back in 2025” (March 2026); Seyfarth Shaw, “Federal Court Website Accessibility Lawsuit Filings Continue to Decrease in 2024” (April 2025); Seyfarth Shaw, “ADA Title III Federal Lawsuit Filings Fall Slightly to 8,667 in 2025” (February 2026); New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq.. New Jersey count reflects full year federal filings.
Many New Jersey filings come from firms also active in New York, and Pennsylvania sits in the same Third Circuit as New Jersey. See New York lawsuit data, Pennsylvania lawsuit data, or see all 10 states.