The flood of ADA website lawsuits isn’t slowing down. Over 4,000 were filed in federal court last year, with industries like real estate, hospitality, and e-commerce seeing a growing share. Real estate websites, especially those built on templated platforms or lacking regular updates, are increasingly caught in the crosshairs. If your website isn’t ADA-compliant, you’re not just ignoring a vulnerable segment of your audience, you’re leaving the door wide open to a lawsuit.
But here’s the news that changes everything: A U.S. federal court just ruled that AI-powered accessibility tools, when implemented correctly, count as part of a legitimate ADA compliance strategy. Translation? You can now protect your site and your team without a total redesign or a six-month dev project.
What Just Happened (And Why It Matters to Real Estate Pros)
In the ADA case of Erkan v. David A. Hidalgo, M.D., P.C., the federal court dismissed it after the defendant demonstrated a clear pattern of remediation. This included improved alt text, form accessibility, menu labeling, and the use of an accessibility widget. While the court didn’t evaluate the widget alone, it cited the full set of improvements as sufficient to moot the complaint. That means AI-powered tools, when part of a documented, good-faith strategy, certainly contribute to legal protection.
That’s a big deal. Why? Because the court explicitly recognized that using AI-based solutions is a reasonable, good-faith effort toward compliance and likely enough to avoid liability.
Real estate websites, with their IDX feeds, image-heavy layouts, and custom search features, are notoriously tricky to make fully accessible. This ruling gives you a clear path forward. You don’t have to rebuild everything. You just have to take the right steps, and document them. (PS – we can help!)
Here’s What You Should Be Doing Right Now
If you’ve got a website, this is your game plan:
- Install a Court-Recognized AI Accessibility Tool
- We use, recommend, and install the AccessiBe ADA widget. This tool overlays accessibility features onto your existing site, without needing a full redevelopment.
- It should auto-scan for common issues and let users adjust settings like font size, color contrast, and keyboard navigation. We got this.
- Run an Accessibility Audit (and Save the Report)
- Get a documented accessibility review of your site. This shows you’re not winging it—you’ve taken measurable steps to meet ADA standards. We got this too.
- Fix What You Can Manually
- Update image alt tags. Clean up your navigation structure. Make your forms usable without a mouse. These are low-effort, high-impact changes. Every site is different – so this will require an audit, and potentially some additional work.
- Commit to Ongoing Monitoring
- Accessibility isn’t a one-and-done deal. The court specifically cited ongoing efforts as a reason for dismissal in the Hidalgo case. We got this.
- Document Everything
- Keep a record of audits, tool installations, and improvements. If someone comes knocking, you’ve got proof that you’re actively working toward compliance. Check.
What This Means for Your Brand
Yes, legal protection matters. But this is also about brand integrity and serving every visitor who lands on your site.
- ADA compliance broadens your reach to buyers, sellers, and investors with disabilities.
- It strengthens your reputation as a team that does things right.
- And now, with AI in the mix, it’s no longer cost-prohibitive or technically out of reach.
Bottom Line
ADA compliance can be complicated. Now, thanks to a federal ruling, there’s a clear and defensible path for real estate teams: combine smart AI tools with good-faith, ongoing efforts.
You stay focused on growth while your site quietly checks the compliance box, and avoids the legal mess others are stumbling into.
If your current web partner hasn’t brought this up, we should talk.
TLDR:
A federal court just validated AI-powered tools as part of a legal ADA compliance strategy. That means your real estate website can be protected from lawsuits without a full rebuild. That is, if you take smart, documented steps now.
