Cleveland, OH – Attorneys from Singleton Schreiber and Anapol Weiss have filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, against Discord, Inc. The complaint alleges that Discord’s reckless and deceptive business practices and negligently designed app directly enabled the sexual exploitation of a 17-year-old girl by a convicted sex offender.
The plaintiff, now 19, was diagnosed as a child with selective mutism, a condition that impaired her ability to communicate verbally in social settings. She relied on Discord for entertainment and social interaction. Instead of a safe environment, Discord exposed her to a known predator who used the platform to manipulate, groom, and abuse her.
The predator sent her graphic sexual messages, transmitted explicit images of himself, coerced her into creating and sending explicit images and videos, and attempted multiple times to meet her in person.
The complaint asserts that Discord deliberately misrepresented its application as a safe platform for children while knowing it lacked even the most basic safeguards. It further alleges Discord prioritized user growth, including children, in pursuit of revenue at the expense of child safety.
The lawsuit brings multiple causes of action against Discord, including fraudulent concealment and misrepresentation; negligence in general, for failure to warn, and for unreasonable design; negligent undertaking; strict liability for design defects, failure to warn, and nonconformance with representation; as well as receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography; and failure to report child abuse.
“Had Discord disclosed the truth about the rampant predatory activity on its platform, or developed safeguards to prevent it, this child’s mother never would have allowed her to use it,” said Kristina Aiad-Toss of Singleton Schreiber. “Instead, Discord created a dangerous environment and looked the other way.”
While Discord claims to actively police and moderate its platform, the lawsuit argues that the company has repeatedly failed to protect teens, tweens, and children. The National Center for Sexual Exploitation has placed Discord on its Dirty Dozen List for failing to “adequately address sexually exploitative content and activity on its platform.” Despite requiring users to be 13 or older, Discord has no meaningful age-verification system. Its moderation relies largely on users to self-report harmful content, leaving entire servers unmonitored.
The platform also allows minors to receive unsolicited communications, does nothing to prevent them from entering explicit channels, and fails to provide any parental controls. Even when privacy settings exist to limit contact from strangers, Discord does not automatically enable them on minor accounts, leaving children vulnerable and parents unaware.
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, focusing on mass torts and multi-district litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, insurance bad faith, tribal law, and sex abuse/trafficking.
Home to the nation’s largest fire litigation practice, the firm has represented more than 30,000 wildfire and explosion victims and played leading roles in cases such as the 2025 Eaton Fire, Moss Landing Battery Fire, Esparto Fireworks Explosion, and the 2023 Maui Fires.
Singleton Schreiber is also pursuing groundbreaking cases against Tesla for its misrepresented autopilot system and serving in leadership in the national hair relaxer litigation, as well as advocating for survivors of abuse involving major hotel chains. With deep experience in complex claims, the firm is committed to holding corporations accountable and helping individuals, families, and communities recover.
