Lawsuit Seeks to Hold Online Platform Accountable for Child Sexual Exploitation
Anapol Weiss shareholder Alexandra Walsh spoke to San Francisco-based KQED Radio on February 20 to discuss the lawsuit recently filed against the online gaming giant Roblox and the communications app Discord.
In Doe v. Roblox Corp., Discord Inc., Walsh and her colleagues seek to hold Roblox and Discord accountable for facilitating the sexual exploitation of a 13-year-old boy who was targeted by an adult user and coerced into sharing sexually explicit images in exchange for “Robux,” the virtual currency used in the game. This exploitation resulted in both financial and psychological harm to the young victim and his family. The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo.
The complaint alleges that Roblox and Discord are designed in ways that enable dangerous predators to contact children and groom them to share sexually explicit content.
The lawsuit identified both companies’ misrepresentations of safety as a critical aspect of this danger by assuring parents that the platforms are safe for minors. In truth, the lawsuit alleges, their platforms offer a hunting ground for predators seeking to exploit children.
“There’s a systemic failure of safety and a systemic set of misrepresentations,” said Walsh. “Horrifically, our client in this case is one child of many who have been grievously injured as a result of that.”
Walsh and her team of trial attorneys have been leading the effort to hold Roblox accountable for the exploitation and abuse of underage users since 2023, when the firm filed a class action lawsuit against the platform on behalf of parents who bought Robux for their children as a result of misrepresentations of the platform’s safety.
“There are thousands of kids who’ve already been hurt,” Walsh told KQED Radio. “There are thousands of more kids who are at risk, and Roblox and Discord know exactly what’s happening on their platforms. They have the resources to protect children, but they’re prioritizing financial gain over the safety of our kids.”
Anapol Weiss is actively interviewing plaintiffs regarding additional Roblox lawsuit cases that may be filed. The firm is committed to holding Roblox and Discord accountable on behalf of others who have been sexually abused or exploited on these platforms.
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy also represents the plaintiff as co-counsel in Doe v. Roblox Corp., Discord Inc.
KQED full article: https://www.kqed.org/news/12027891/roblox-discord-fail-stop-sexual-predators-exploiting-kids-lawsuit-alleges.
