Nearly three dozen women have sued adult video website Pornhub. A lawsuit is filed against the website and its parent company MindGeek in California for knowingly profiting from footage depicting rape and sexual exploitation including minors and other nonconsensual sexual content.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs have accused the online giant of creating a teeming marketplace for child pornography and ‘every other form’ of nonconsensual sexual content. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs ‘were ignored, shamed and sometimes mocked when they asked MindGeek to remove videos of their abuse from its porn platform.’ The lawyers want the company to pay damages, however, it has denied all the allegations.
“This is a case about rape, not pornography. It is a case about the rape and sexual exploitation of children. It is a case about the rape and sexual exploitation of men and women,” stated the lawsuit filed by Brown Rudnick LLP.
MindGeek is accused of being a ‘classic criminal enterprise with a business model based on exploiting non-consensual sexaul content. According to Brown Rudnick LLP, representing 34 women said some of the plaintiffs were minors when the videos were posted without their consent and they should be consodered as ‘a victim of child and sex trafficking.’
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Serena Fleites, the only plaintiff to be named has said that in 2014 she came to know that ‘a nude, sexually explicit video’ of her when she was 13 had been uploaded to Pornhub without her consent. The video remained online until the teen, posing as her mother asked Pornhub to remove it from the online platform. Still, the video was not taken down for weeks.
Meanwhile, Michael Bowe, the lawyer of the alleged victims said that the company, ‘has operated like an old-school red-light district of commerce where rules that do apply and should be applied haven't been applied.’
Talking about the matter, one of the plaintiffs said, “It is time for the companies and individuals who have profited off of non-consensual and illegal content to be held liable for their crime. I joined the lawsuit because I seek justice for myself and the countless victims who don't come forward.”
Along with Mind Geek, the plaintiffs are also suing Visa Inc which is one of the largest payment processing companies for ‘Knowingly profiting from trafficking in providing merchant services to MindGeek.’
So far, Pornhub has denied all the accusations and said the allegations are completely reckless and categorically false.
"This makes sense because this lawsuit is brought by Michael Bowe, a soldier of the ultra-right-wing effort to shut down the adult content industry," stated Pronhub.