TL;DR: Very serious. These are real law firms doing real legal work. Over 4,000 businesses faced federal lawsuits in 2023 after ignoring demand letters. If you got one, take it seriously - ignoring it makes it worse.

You just got an ADA demand letter claiming your website violates federal law, and you're wondering: "Is this actually serious, or can I just ignore it?"

The answer: It's very serious. And you cannot ignore it.

Here's how to know if your letter is legitimate and why you need to take it seriously right now.

How Serious Are These Letters?

Extremely serious.

ADA demand letters are not spam. They're not marketing emails. They're not scams.

They're legal notices from actual law firms representing disabled plaintiffs who claim your website prevented them from accessing your business.

How to Tell If Your Letter Is Legitimate

Most ADA demand letters are legitimate, but here's how to verify:

Signs It's Real:

✓ Comes from an actual law firm - You can look up the firm and verify they practice accessibility law

✓ Names a specific plaintiff - An actual person with a disability who allegedly tried to use your site

✓ Lists specific violations - Exact technical issues (missing alt text, poor color contrast, inaccessible forms)

✓ Cites specific pages - URLs where violations were found

✓ References WCAG standards - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA

✓ Gives you a deadline - Usually 30-60 days to respond or remedy

✓ Sent via certified mail or email with tracking - Creates a paper trail

Red Flags (But Still Take Seriously):

⚠️ Very vague about violations - Doesn't list specific issues

⚠️ Immediate settlement demand - "Pay $5,000 now or we sue tomorrow"

⚠️ No specific plaintiff named - Just says "our client"

Even if your letter has red flags, don't assume it's fake. Many legitimate demand letters are vaguely worded. When in doubt, take it seriously.

Why You Should Take It Seriously

1. These Lead to Real Lawsuits

Over 4,000 federal ADA lawsuits were filed in 2023. Most started with a demand letter that was ignored.

The pattern:

Send demand letter
Business ignores it
File federal lawsuit
Business pays $50K-$150K to settle

2. The Law Firms Are Real

A handful of law firms specialize in ADA website accessibility cases. They file dozens or hundreds of these lawsuits per year.

This is their business model:

Scan websites for violations (automated)
Send demand letters
File lawsuits if ignored
Settle for predictable amounts

It's industrialized, but it's legal and courts support it.

3. Courts Side with Accessibility

When these cases go to court, businesses almost always lose.

Why?

The ADA clearly applies to websites (established since 2017)
WCAG 2.1 AA is the accepted standard
Your site either meets the standard or it doesn't
"I didn't know" isn't a defense

4. The Violations Are Probably Real

Even if the letter feels opportunistic, the technical violations listed are usually accurate.

Common violations:

Images without alt text
Videos without captions
Forms that don't work with keyboards
Poor color contrast
Buttons and links screen readers can't identify

If you run an accessibility scan, you'll probably find the exact issues they're claiming.

What Makes These Serious (The Costs)

Let's talk money, because that's what makes this serious:

If You Respond and Fix It:

Accessibility scan: Free
Professional remediation: $2,000-$8,000
Possible small settlement: $0-$5,000
Total: $2,000-$13,000

If You Ignore It:

Federal lawsuit filed
Your legal defense: $30,000-$80,000
Settlement to plaintiff: $10,000-$75,000
Their attorney fees: $15,000-$40,000
Court-mandated monitoring: $10,000-$30,000 (over 2-3 years)
Fix violations anyway: $2,000-$8,000
Total: $67,000-$233,000

That 10-20x cost difference is why this is serious.

"But They're Just Trying to Make Money"

You're not wrong.

Many of these cases come from law firms that systematically scan websites, find violations, and send demand letters en masse.

But here's the thing:

Just because their motivation is profit doesn't mean:

The law isn't real (it is)
Your violations aren't real (they probably are)
You can ignore it (you can't)
Courts will side with you (they won't)

The uncomfortable truth: Your website probably IS inaccessible, and that IS a violation of federal law, regardless of whether the plaintiff was ever going to be your customer.

How Serious Is the Deadline?

Take it seriously, but don't panic.

Most demand letters give you 30-60 days to respond or remedy the violations.

What happens if you miss the deadline?

They can file a lawsuit. Many do. Some give you a few extra days. Don't count on it.

What you should do:

Start addressing it immediately. Within the first week:

Run an accessibility scan
Understand what's wrong
Contact an accessibility consultant
Begin remediation

You don't need to have everything fixed in 30 days, but you need to show good faith effort and active remediation.

"Do People Actually Take These Seriously?"

The smart ones do.

Businesses that take demand letters seriously and fix their sites:

Avoid federal lawsuits
Spend $2K-$13K total
Resolve the issue in 2-4 weeks
Move on with their lives

Businesses that ignore demand letters because they don't take them seriously:

Get sued in federal court
Spend $67K-$233K total
Deal with litigation for 6-18 months
Still have to fix their sites anyway
Have public court records of the lawsuit

Which one sounds smarter?

What If You're Not Sure It's Serious?

Assume it is.

Even if you suspect the letter is opportunistic or vague, treat it as legitimate.

Why?

The cost of being wrong is $100K+ in legal fees
The cost of being cautious is $3K-$8K to fix your site
Your site probably does have violations
You're required to be accessible anyway

The downside of taking it seriously is minimal. The downside of ignoring it is catastrophic.

What You Should Do Right Now

Step 1: Verify the letter is real

Look up the law firm. Check if they practice accessibility law. Confirm they sent it.

Step 2: Don't ignore it, but don't panic

Yes, it's serious. No, your business isn't doomed. This is fixable.

Step 3: Find out what's actually wrong

Run an accessibility scan of your site. See what violations they're claiming.

Step 4: Get it fixed

Hire someone who knows accessibility. Get the violations remedied properly.

Step 5: Respond showing good faith

Document what you've fixed. Show them you're taking it seriously.

Many firms will close the case if you demonstrate compliance. Some want a small settlement. Either way, it's cheaper than a lawsuit.

The Bottom Line

How serious is an ADA demand letter?

Extremely serious.

These are real law firms. Real legal claims. Real lawsuits if you ignore them.

But they're also manageable if you act quickly.

The letter is your warning shot. It's your chance to fix the problem before it becomes a federal case.

Don't let skepticism, pride, or wishful thinking turn a $3,000 problem into a $100,000+ disaster.

Take it seriously. Fix your site. Move on.

Scan your website now - See what violations they're claiming (free, 30 seconds)

Then get them fixed before this escalates.

How Serious Is an ADA Demand Letter?