A proposed class action suit in Santa Ana against the parent company of the adult website Pornhub alleges the company has violated federal sex trafficking and child pornography laws by profiting from thousands of pornographic videos featuring persons under the age of 18, according to court papers obtained Monday.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court on behalf of Jane Doe and similarly situated individuals, alleges that MindGeek chose to prioritize profits over the safety and welfare of children around the world, refusing to institute an age verification policy. The complaint includes public Reddit posts allegedly penned by Pornhub's senior community manager stating that age verification would be a "disaster," claiming it to be costly and that it would result in 50% reduction in traffic.
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A message seeking comment sent to MindGeek was not immediately answered.
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The plaintiff alleges she contacted Pornhub last March after learning that the website allowed videos of her at age 16 to be uploaded to the site, without her knowledge or consent. While Pornhub ultimately removed the videos, it warned her that it could not guarantee the videos would not be uploaded again, the suit states.
"This lawsuit aims to hold MindGeek responsible for the abhorrent and illegal business tactics that it continues to employ across PornHub and its other websites,'' plaintiffs' attorney Krysta Kauble Pachman alleged. "Over the years, MindGeek has repeatedly prioritized profit over the safety and welfare of minors. These individuals are victims of sex trafficking and child pornography, they want to see an end to these harmful practices, and they deserve to be compensated for the damage MindGeek has caused."
