Twitter Seeks Sex-Trafficking Dismissal, Citing 9th Circuit Decision

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent decision in favor of Reddit against sex-trafficking claims means a similar case against Twitter should be dismissed, Twitter said Wednesday in docket 3:21-cv-00485 (see 2210100007 and 2210310063). The 9th Circuit, which reviewed both cases, sided with Reddit in 8:21-cv-00768 (see 2210260073), ruling that victims suing Reddit for allegedly profiting from child porn failed to plead that the website “knowingly benefited” from facilitating sex trafficking. “Plaintiffs quietly recognize Reddit’s applicability to their beneficiary liability sex trafficking claim, essentially conceding that reversal is required,” attorneys for Twitter said Wednesday. Twitter cited language in the court’s decision in Reddit: Section 1591, the child sex-trafficking statute, isn’t satisfied where a website allegedly “provides a platform where it is easy to share child pornography, highlights subreddits that feature child pornography to sell advertising on those pages, allows users who share child pornography to serve as subreddit moderators, and fails to remove child pornography even when users report it.”