Roblox Corporation is attempting to move more than 150 federal lawsuits related to alleged sexual predators operating on its platform into private arbitration. According to a report by Bloomberg, the company is relying on its Terms of Use, which require users to waive their right to pursue claims in a public court proceeding.
Parents of affected children accuse the gaming platform of falsely advertising its safety systems and failing to adequately protect minors from bad actors. The lawsuits allege that Roblox is attempting to shield the true scale of the problem from public scrutiny.
Discord, which has been named as a co-defendant in several cases because conversations with minors allegedly moved there after initial contact on Roblox, is also invoking a similar arbitration clause in its user agreement to avoid open court proceedings.
Several judges have already blocked attempts by both companies to move the cases into private arbitration. However, appeals are ongoing, and final rulings are not expected before the end of the current year.
The cases have drawn increased public and legal attention. Child advocacy groups are calling for an expansion of a 2022 U.S. law that prohibits mandatory arbitration in workplace sexual harassment cases, arguing that similar protections should be extended to minors who are victims of exploitation.
Over the past two years, Roblox has introduced additional safety measures, including facial age-verification technology. The company also agreed to pay $12.5 million as part of a settlement with the state of Nevada that restricts adults from sending messages to children on the platform. Despite these efforts, new lawsuits against the company continue to be filed.
As a reminder, Ubisoft recently announced a restructuring plan that could affect around 380 employees.