Class Action Lawsuit Certified Against Pornhub: ‘Holding [Them] Accountable’
By Movieguide® Contributor
A second class-action lawsuit was recently certified against Pornhub and its parent company, MindGeek/Aylo.
A survivor of childhood sex trafficking and child sexual abuse material, known as Jane Doe, was certified as the class representative in the suit.
The suit certified the following class: “All persons who were under the age of 18 when they appeared in a video or image that has been made available for viewing on any website owned or operated by Defendants anytime from February 12, 2011, through the present,” per a press release.
Josh Hayes, partner at Prince Glover Hayes, spoke on behalf of Jane Doe’s legal team, saying, “We’re gratified that the Court has certified this class of victim-survivors and look forward to holding Pornhub and its related companies accountable for their actions. This is a team effort and we’re grateful to all of the firms who are partnering with us to represent Jane Doe and the other survivors.”
“Jane Doe’s courage in representing the class ‘helps more vulnerable [child] victims come forward with their claims and potentially receive relief than might otherwise come forward individually,’” Hayes continued.
PornHub and MindGeek/Aylo faced another class action lawsuit in 2022.
Christine Wing claimed she was featured in pornographic content that was uploaded online without her consent.
“This class action is just another place where you see the survivors of sexual abuse on Pornhub are stepping forward and looking for justice after what has happened to them,” Peter Gentala, senior legal counsel for the Washington-based National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said. “It’s a large, massive internet presence, and it was built on this concept that people from around the world can send their sex videos in, and we’ll put them up and make money off of them. That was the idea behind it.”
Gentala continued, “We’re not talking about hundreds of thousands of videos; we’re talking about millions of them. And we’re talking about a massive impact, and we may also be talking about survivors who may not even understand at this point yet that they have been victimized using Pornhub as a platform. Or, they may not understand how deeply harmful or extensive that harm was.
Another lawsuit was brought against the company and Visa, alleging that Visa played a role in monetizing child sexual abuse material and that both companies violated trafficking laws.
“The court held that the facts we alleged from our year-long investigation would establish that Visa criminally conspired with MinGreek/Pornhub to traffic in child pornography. That criminal conspiracy continues today, and the responsibility for that now rests squarely with the CEO and board,” attorney Michael Bowe stated.
Movieguide® previously reported on the many voices who are calling for the end of sites like Pornhub:
In a letter submitted to Congress, over 700 survivors of sexual exploitation and victims’ advocates called for a criminal investigation into MindGeek, the leading information technology firm behind the adult site Pornhub.
Over recent months, Pornhub and its parent company have come under fire for enabling sexual exploitation of minors, abuse, human trafficking, and the violation of privacy rights. The letter continues to note the lack of legal consequences for the companies despite Pornhub’s continued publication and even monetization of non-consensual sexual content.
“MindGeek, which owns Pornhub and at least 160 other hardcore pornography websites, serves as a case study of corporate indifference regarding harm caused to women and children on its platform. It has received widespread international condemnation for facilitating and profiting from criminal acts including sex trafficking, filmed sexual abuse of children, and nonconsensually recorded and distributed pornography,” the letter reads.
Dawn Hawkins, the CEO of the Washington-based National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said that MindGeek and Pornhub actively turn a blind eye to their facilitation of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
“MindGeek has profited from illegal material for far too long, and it must be held to account. Even now, Canada has opened an investigation into MindGeek for violations of federal privacy laws. U.S. authorities must take action as well,” Hawkins told The Christian Post. “MindGeek cannot continue to operate with impunity. Congress must step up to bring justice for survivors, and to put an end to the pornography industry’s penchant for preying on vulnerable people.”
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