Famous attorney Mark Geragos has filed a lawsuit against Snapchat for allegedly exposing children to "sexually explicit" content. Geragos filed the suit against the popular social media platform Thursday, TMZreported. The suit takes specific aim at Snapchat's Discover feature, which Geragos' clients allege is a frequent source of "raunchy" material.
The class action lawsuit seeks a payout of $50,000 for each alleged violation of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, described by the Washington Post at the time as "Congress's effort to curb internet porn." The Act was criticized as a possible, albeit unintentional, interference with one's ability to practice freedom of speech.
Geragos' suit, according toTMZ, specifically names several examples of these alleged violations. Among those mentioned are "I Got High, Blown, and Robbed When I Was a Pizza Delivery Guy," "What It Is Really Like to Let People Finger You in Public," and a BuzzFeed post entitled "23 Pictures That Are Too Real If You've Ever Had Sex With a Penis." The suit also seeks an order that would force Snapchat to adopt some sort of graphic content warning.
Mark Geragos has previously worked for a multitude of high-profile clients and makes regular appearances on Good Morning America, Dateline, and similar programs. The Los Angeles-based attorney has represented Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder, Chris Brown, Nicole Richie, and other celebrities.
In April, Snapchat was sued over a car crash in Georgia. The suit asserted that Snapchat had "tempted a woman to drive too fast" and ultimately crash by way of its Speed feature, though CBS 46reported that at least one witness disputed those claims.
In a statement to Complex Thursday, a Snapchat spokesperson said the company had not been issued a complaint regarding the sexual content suit but expressed continued support for "full editorial independence" on their Discover platform:
We haven't been served with a complaint in this lawsuit, but we are sorry if people were offended. Our Discover partners have full editorial independence, which is something that we support.
