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Website accessibility law in Louisiana

Last checked

Louisiana lets a person denied equal enjoyment of a public accommodation because of disability sue in district court for actual damages and attorney's fees (51:2264); a separate disability-rights law (46:1953/1956) adds a $100–$500 misdemeanor. Note: the 'Civil Rights Act for Persons with Disabilities' (46:2251 et seq.) covers education, real estate and state-funded programs, not private businesses generally. On top of that, the federal ADA applies in Louisiana as everywhere: a business that loses or settles a website accessibility suit pays the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees.

The law

Minimum per violation
None set
Can a person sue for money?
Yes
Attorney's fees under state law
Yes
Other money remedies
  • actual damages, court costs and reasonable attorney's fee, La. R.S. 51:2264
  • commission-ordered damages incl. compensation for humiliation and embarrassment, La. R.S. 51:2261(C)(8)
  • actual damages for economic loss, La. R.S. 46:1956(C); court may award costs and attorney's fee to the prevailing party, 46:1956(D)
  • criminal: misdemeanor fine $100–$500 or up to 6 months' imprisonment, or both, La. R.S. 46:1956(A)
Websites
We found no court decision applying Louisiana law to a website.

Verified against the official statute text, Oct 7, 2026. A summary, not legal advice.

The federal baseline

ADA Title III gives a private plaintiff no money damages, but a business that loses or settles pays the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205). That fee-shifting is what makes a website claim expensive, in Louisiana and everywhere else.

Lawsuits in Louisiana

The lawsuit tracker has no indexed court records from Louisiana yet.

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Questions

Can a business in Louisiana be sued over an inaccessible website?

Yes. The federal ADA applies in every state, and a plaintiff can sue in federal court for an order to fix the site plus attorney's fees. Under Louisiana law a person can sue the business directly. We found no court decision applying Louisiana law to a website.

What is the minimum a Louisiana court awards for a website accessibility violation?

Louisiana law sets no fixed minimum per violation. Louisiana lets a person denied equal enjoyment of a public accommodation because of disability sue in district court for actual damages and attorney's fees (51:2264); a separate disability-rights law (46:1953/1956) adds a $100–$500 misdemeanor. Note: the 'Civil Rights Act for Persons with Disabilities' (46:2251 et seq.) covers education, real estate and state-funded programs, not private businesses generally.

Do I pay the plaintiff's lawyer if I lose or settle in Louisiana?

Under the federal ADA, yes: a business that loses or settles usually pays the plaintiff's attorney's fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205). Louisiana law also provides for attorney's fees.

Which accessibility standard should a Louisiana business website meet?

The ADA doesn't name a technical standard for businesses. The Justice Department's 2022 guidance points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and its 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA.