In a closely watched case, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed that a social network application and its owners cannot be held liable for the acts of its users. Plaintiff sued Grindr and its owners, including the firm’s client, alleging that they were liable for the despicable conduct of one of the app’s users.
The district court and 2nd Circuit agreed that defendants were protected by CDA immunity and that Plaintiff’s additional claims sounding in fraud and consumer protection were inadequate as a matter of law.
The case presented an important question on the interpretation and reach of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a 1996 federal law that, as relevant here, outlines tech companies’ responsibilities towards their users.
In an article to Reuters partner Moez M. Kaba said, “the decision clarified that CDA protections extend to apps, which is important in the smartphone era, where so much activity is done on apps rather than through traditional web pages.”
Grindr Holding Co. was represented by Moez M. Kaba and Allison Libeu.
To read the full Reuters article, click here.
To read the Law360 article, click here.