California Legislature Kills Small Business ADA Lawsuit Protection Bill; Fresno Ranks Sixth for Entrepreneurs

Senate Bill 84, a measure intended to shield small businesses from predatory Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits, died in the California Assembly earlier this month after passing the Senate more than a year ago. The bill would have required plaintiffs to give businesses 120 days’ notice and a chance to fix accessibility violations before facing statutory damages and attorney’s fees.

The bill passed the Senate 33-7 on June 4, 2025, but sat in the Assembly for over a year before missing a procedural deadline. The Americans for Tort Reform Association called the Assembly’s decision “incredibly disheartening,” stating that the legislature instead moved forward with “a problematic bill” that could worsen the problem.

The National Federation of Independent Business had lobbied heavily for SB 84. ATRA Vice President Lauren Sheets Jarrell said the bill “would have properly addressed the abusive litigation that California small businesses face due to trial lawyers who take advantage of loopholes in the law to pad their own pockets.”

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ATRA ranked California 48th out of 50 states in its 2026 Legislative HeatCheck report. U.S. News & World Report placed California 35th overall in its annual Best States Rankings, with a 50th-place ranking in “Opportunity” and 44th in “Fiscal Responsibility.”

Fresno ranked sixth among U.S. cities in GoDaddy’s Small Business Research Lab analysis of entrepreneurial activity, making it the only California city in the top 10. The ranking measured cities by their impact on job-market and economic growth.

The Breakdown

• SB 84 would have required detailed notice and a 120-day repair period before a small business could be sued for technical ADA violations.
• The bill passed the Senate 33-7 on June 4, 2025, then died in the Assembly after missing a procedural deadline earlier this month.
• GoDaddy’s research ranked Fresno sixth nationally for entrepreneurial activity based on job-market and economic impact.

What This Means for You

The legislature’s decision not to advance SB 84 means the existing enforcement framework stays in place. ATRA described the current situation as “abusive litigation” driven by “trial lawyers who take advantage of loopholes in the law.”

The Fresno entrepreneurship ranking measures local economic conditions separately from state legislative decisions.

What to Watch

The legislature reconvened from summer recess this week and runs through an August 31 adjournment deadline.

What the Assembly does with the “problematic bill” ATRA referenced — the one that allegedly addresses ADA litigation but could make the problem worse — will show whether the legislature intends to address the issue at all or simply shelved SB 84 to avoid crossing the trial bar.

Fresno’s sixth-place entrepreneurship ranking came from a private research organization measuring job-market impact. That’s a metric shaped directly by the cost of doing business — including legal liability exposure.