When ‘Small’ Isn’t Safe: Cyber Liability Hits St. Louis Main Street

by Dave Roberson

Cyber liability is not just a Fortune 500 problem. In St. Louis, modest sized firms, from restaurants to professional services, are facing lawsuits and settlements after digital missteps. The takeaway is simple: your website and your vendors can put you in court.

Consider a local law firm case. In Garbarino v. Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz, PLC, a class action in the Eastern District of Missouri alleged negligence after a 2023 network incident. NST agreed to a $232,500 fund with pro rata payments and up to $5,000 for documented losses, not headline numbers but painful for a midsize practice. The settlement was approved in October 2025.

There is also a steady drumbeat of ADA website accessibility suits. Local restaurateurs, including well known but small operators, have been targeted for non-compliant sites. Dozens of establishments have received demand letters or been sued, with many settling and then paying to remediate.

Real estate and community health groups are in the crosshairs as well. Sansone Group reported a 2025 incident drawing class action investigations. Even without certification, breach notices often trigger litigation or costly claims administration, expenses that do not scale on a smaller P&L. Community clinics like CareSTL have faced breach investigations too.

Why these cases matter to small businesses:
- The plaintiff playbook is repeatable. Expect claims such as negligence, breach of contract, invasion of privacy, and consumer protection. Plaintiffs do not need massive damages to force negotiations. NST’s modest settlement shows small business scale outcomes.
- Cyber extends beyond hackers. Pixels, analytics, and ADA accessibility create liability from everyday web choices. Restaurants learning ADA the hard way are a warning for salons, retailers, and professional services.
- Vendor risk is your risk. Whether a managed IT provider, web developer, or SaaS platform, third party mistakes flow back to you. Contracts and diligence can make or break your defense and coverage.

Four practical steps to take this quarter:
- Audit your website. Check WCAG 2.2 AA, post an accessibility statement, provide a remediation path. Do a privacy and marketing audit. Inventory pixels, tags, chat widgets, and forms. Disable what is non-essential. Align your privacy notice with actual practices.
- Tighten vendor contracts. Require security controls, prompt notice, incident cooperation, and cyber insurance from IT, web, and marketing vendors. Get written attestations on accessibility and privacy.
- Right size your cyber policy. Confirm first party coverages such as forensics, data restoration, and business interruption, and third-party coverages such as privacy liability, media liability, and regulatory defense. Ask about tracking technology claims and contractual penalties.
- Practice the basics. Use MFA everywhere, patch on a schedule, use a password manager, maintain off network backups, and run phishing drills.

Cyber liability is now a Main Street issue in St. Louis. From a $232,500 law firm settlement to ADA cases hitting indie restaurants, the pattern is clear. Small operations face outsized legal exposure from ordinary digital choices. Focused fixes on website hygiene, accessibility, vendor contracts, and fit for purpose insurance can keep you out of court.

Dave Roberson is a Founding Partner at CMIT Solutions St. Louis, a Managed IT Service Provider. For more information,
visit www.cmitstl.com.