Mississippi has no general public-accommodation civil-rights statute. Its only disability-access law is a narrow white-cane statute guaranteeing 'blind, visually handicapped, deaf and other physically disabled persons' equal access to public conveyances and places of public accommodation (§ 43-6-5). The only stated sanction is a misdemeanor fine up to $100 (§ 43-6-11). No civil damages remedy appears in the text, and a website claim would effectively rest on the federal ADA. On top of that, the federal ADA applies in Mississippi as everywhere: a business that loses or settles a website accessibility suit pays the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees.
The law
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 (opens in a new tab)). That fee-shifting is what makes a website claim expensive, in Mississippi and everywhere else.
Lawsuits in Mississippi
The lawsuit tracker has no indexed court records from Mississippi yet.
Questions
Can a business in Mississippi 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. Mississippi law doesn't let a person sue for money directly; complaints go to a state agency. We found no court decision applying Mississippi law to a website.
What is the minimum a Mississippi court awards for a website accessibility violation?
Mississippi law sets no fixed minimum per violation. Mississippi has no general public-accommodation civil-rights statute. Its only disability-access law is a narrow white-cane statute guaranteeing 'blind, visually handicapped, deaf and other physically disabled persons' equal access to public conveyances and places of public accommodation (§ 43-6-5). The only stated sanction is a misdemeanor fine up to $100 (§ 43-6-11). No civil damages remedy appears in the text, and a website claim would effectively rest on the federal ADA.
Do I pay the plaintiff's lawyer if I lose or settle in Mississippi?
Under the federal ADA, yes: a business that loses or settles usually pays the plaintiff's attorney's fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205). Mississippi law itself doesn't add a fee award.
Which accessibility standard should a Mississippi 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.