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Massachusetts public-accommodations law has been read by the courts to cover commercial websites under Title III principles. Treble damages are available in certain cases.
Statute: M.G.L. c. 272 § 98 (Public Accommodations) + Equal Access Law
Compensatory damages, treble damages for willful violations, attorneys' fees and costs. Civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation under § 98.
ADA / WCAG 2.1 AA via incorporation. The Massachusetts Office on Disability publishes recommended technical guidelines that also reference WCAG.
Federal ADA still applies in addition to Massachusetts state law.
M.G.L. c. 272 § 98 prohibits any 'place of public accommodation' from refusing or restricting service based on disability, and Massachusetts courts have followed the First Circuit's broad reading of public accommodation that includes online services with a clear nexus to a physical business. The Equal Access Law allows treble damages for willful violations, plus attorneys' fees.
Any individual alleging denial of full and equal access. Private right of action is available in addition to enforcement by the Attorney General.
The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has settled multiple consent decrees with state and local entities over inaccessible websites and online services.
Filings have grown steadily as plaintiffs' firms expand from New York, Florida, and California into the First Circuit. Many cases pair § 98 claims with parallel ADA claims to seek both injunctive relief and damages.
Whatever the local statute says, the technical baseline is WCAG 2.1 AA. A 60-second axe-core scan will tell you where you stand.
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