Washington lets a disabled customer sue directly in court (no agency exhaustion) for actual damages, attorney's fees and an injunction; there is no fixed per-violation award. Commentary reads WLAD's 'place of public accommodation' to reach services offered to the public wherever provided, but no website-specific appellate holding was confirmed. On top of that, the federal ADA applies in Washington 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 Washington and everywhere else.
Lawsuits in Washington
Our lawsuit tracker has indexed 2 federal court records from Washington. It’s a sample, not a complete count: it covers dockets that say what they’re about.
- Snohomish County (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-03
- Moran (opens in a new tab), filed 2026-02
Questions
Can a business in Washington 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 Washington law a person can sue the business directly. Whether Washington law covers websites is unsettled.
What is the minimum a Washington court awards for a website accessibility violation?
Washington law sets no fixed minimum per violation. Washington lets a disabled customer sue directly in court (no agency exhaustion) for actual damages, attorney's fees and an injunction; there is no fixed per-violation award. Commentary reads WLAD's 'place of public accommodation' to reach services offered to the public wherever provided, but no website-specific appellate holding was confirmed.
Do I pay the plaintiff's lawyer if I lose or settle in Washington?
Under the federal ADA, yes: a business that loses or settles usually pays the plaintiff's attorney's fees (42 U.S.C. § 12205). Washington law also provides for attorney's fees.
Which accessibility standard should a Washington 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.