What happens if you ignore an ADA demand letter?
It gets worse, on a predictable schedule. Ignored demand letters escalate: follow-up letters with deadlines, then a filed lawsuit, usually in a plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction. The settlement number also tends to rise at each stage, because the plaintiff’s costs rise. Silence is the single most expensive response, and it is also the most common mistake small Shopify stores make. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to an attorney about your specific situation.
The escalation ladder
The first letter is an invitation to negotiate, even when its tone suggests otherwise. It names the alleged barriers, cites the law, and proposes a settlement figure with a response deadline, typically two to four weeks. Nothing about this letter obligates you to pay the number on it; it opens a negotiation.
Ignore the deadline and a second letter arrives, shorter and sharper, often with a higher number. Ignore that and the next step is a filed complaint in federal court. Filing transforms the dispute: now there are court deadlines, formal discovery, and legal fees accumulating on both sides. Each rung of this ladder is more expensive than the last, and the ladder only moves in one direction.
Why silence costs more
Plaintiffs’ firms work on volume, and their settlement pricing reflects effort. A store that engages early settles as a quick, cheap file. A store that forces a lawsuit becomes a file with court costs attached, and the settlement demand rises to cover them. The same barriers cost more to resolve in month three than in week one.
Silence also forfeits the narrative. Courts and mediators look more favorably on defendants who engaged promptly and started fixing the site. A store that ignored two letters and fixed nothing looks indifferent, which is the worst posture to be in when the other side is asking a judge for fees.
The first 72 hours
Do not reply to the letter yourself, and do not admit anything in writing. The first move is finding counsel experienced with website accessibility cases, not general business lawyers. These cases have their own economics and their own plaintiff firms, and an experienced attorney knows the going rates and the credible threats from the bluffs.
Preserve everything. Save the letter, note when it arrived, and do not delete or overhaul the site in a panic before counsel advises. Then get an accessibility audit started immediately, because remediation takes weeks and the negotiation goes better when fixes are already underway.
Settlement reality for small stores
Most of these cases settle, and the numbers for small Shopify stores are far below the headline figures in the letter. Early settlements typically land in the low thousands plus a commitment to fix the site within an agreed timeframe. The letter’s opening demand is a starting bid, not a verdict.
What the plaintiff wants most is a quick settlement and a remediation commitment, because their business model depends on turnover. A store that responds promptly, hires counsel, and starts fixing the site is offering exactly that. The leverage in these negotiations belongs to whoever moves first.
Fixing the site while you negotiate
Remediation and negotiation run in parallel, not in sequence. Start with the barriers named in the letter, then expand to a full audit, because settling one letter while the site still has obvious barriers invites the next one. Plaintiff firms keep lists, and a store that paid once without fixing is a known easy target.
Document every fix with before-and-after evidence and dates. Remediation records serve two purposes: they satisfy the settlement’s compliance terms, and they are your defense if a different firm sends a letter next year. A store with dated proof of ongoing accessibility work is a much harder target than one with nothing.