Utah's civil-rights act excludes disability and expressly disclaims website accessibility; the separate disability-rights statute has only a class C misdemeanor and no private damages claim, so practical exposure is the federal ADA. On top of that, the federal ADA applies in Utah 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 Utah and everywhere else.
Lawsuits in Utah
The lawsuit tracker has no indexed court records from Utah yet.
Questions
Can a business in Utah 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. Utah law doesn't let a person sue for money directly; complaints go to a state agency. We found no court decision applying Utah law to a website: and Utah Code § 13-7-3(3) expressly says the Civil Rights Act does not regulate business website accessibility.
What is the minimum a Utah court awards for a website accessibility violation?
Utah law sets no fixed minimum per violation. Utah's civil-rights act excludes disability and expressly disclaims website accessibility; the separate disability-rights statute has only a class C misdemeanor and no private damages claim, so practical exposure is the federal ADA.
Do I pay the plaintiff's lawyer if I lose or settle in Utah?
Under the federal ADA, yes: a business that loses or settles usually pays the plaintiff's attorney's fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205). Utah law itself doesn't add a fee award.
Which accessibility standard should a Utah 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.