Skip to content
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
Insurance Journal - Property Casualty Industry News

Featured Stories

  • CFC Execs Walsh, Newman to Step Down After Probe
  • Alleged Leader of Multi-State Auto Fraud Ring Arrested
  • News
  • Markets

Current Magazine

current magazine
  • Read Online
  • Subscribe
  • Front Page
    • National
    • International
    • Most Popular
    • Magazine
    • Forums
    • Blogs
    • Videos/Podcasts
    • Newsletters
  • News
    • Most Popular
    • National
    • International
    • East
    • Midwest
    • South Central
    • Southeast
    • West
  • Magazines
    • East
    • Midwest
    • South Central
    • Southeast
    • West
    • Subscribe
  • Research
  • Directories
  • Jobs
  • Features
    • Events
    • Forums
    • Market Directories
    • Quotes
    • Polls
    • Rankings & Awards
    • Insurance Giving Back
  • Subscribe

Twitter, Google, Facebook Sued by Orlando Shooting Victims’ Families

By Brendan O'Brien | December 21, 2016
Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
Email to a friend Facebook Tweet LinkedIn Print Article
  • Article
  • 11 Comments

The families of three men killed at Orlando’s Pulse gay nightclub have sued Twitter Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. in federal court, accusing the companies of providing “material support” to the self-radicalized gunman.

The gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people and wounded 53 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group before police fatally shot him after the June attack, officials said.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in Detroit federal court by the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, who were killed during the massacre.

Similar lawsuits in the past have faced an uphill fight because of strong protections in U.S. federal law for the technology industry.

The three families claim Twitter, Google’s YouTube and Facebook “provided the terrorist group ISIS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds and attract new recruits.”

The suit alleges the “material support has been instrumental to the rise of ISIS and has enabled it to carry out or cause to be carried out, numerous terrorist attacks.”

Facebook said on Tuesday there is no place on its service for groups that engage in or support terrorism, and that it takes swift action to remove that content when it is reported.

“We are committed to providing a service where people feel safe when using Facebook,” it said in a statement. “We sympathize with the victims and their families.”

Twitter declined to comment. In August, the company said it had suspended 360,000 accounts since mid-2015 for violating policies related to promotion of terrorism.

Representatives of Google could not immediately be reached.

The three companies plus Microsoft Corp. said this month they would coordinate more to remove extremist content, sharing digital “fingerprints” with each other.

Technology companies are protected from many lawsuits under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, which says website operators are not liable for content posted by others.

Monday’s lawsuit claims that the companies create unique content by combining ISIS postings with advertisements to target the viewer. It also says they share revenue with ISIS for its content and profit from ISIS postings through advertising revenue.

The families in the case in Michigan, where one of the victims is from, are seeking damages and for the court to rule that the sites have violated the Anti-Terrorism Act in the United States.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee and David Ingram in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrew Hay)

Related:

  • Google, Facebook, Twitter Sued by Father of Victim of Paris Terrorist Attack
  • Judge Claims Facebook Not Taking Terrorism Threat Seriously
  • Court Absolves Twitter of Liability for Terrorists’ Tweets
  • Widow’s Damages Lawsuit Blames Twitter for Spread of ISIS
Copyright 2023 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Topics Lawsuits USA Google

Was this article valuable?

Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article.

Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it.

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Federal Cyber Insurance Backstop Is Warranted With Focus on Catastrophic Risk
U.S. Senate Committee Wants Investigation into Florida Citizens’ Loss Reserves
HCI Execs to Launch Condo Insurance Exchange in Florida After OIR Approval
Alleged Leader of Multi-State Auto Fraud Ring Arrested in Florida After 4 Years in Hiding

Written By Brendan O'Brien

More From Author

Interested in Lawsuits?

Get automatic alerts for this topic.

Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
Email to a friend Facebook Tweet LinkedIn Print Article
  • Categories: National NewsTopics: Anti-Terrorism Act, facebook, Facebook terrorism lawsuit, Google, Orlando Pulse nightclub, Orlando shooting liability, social media liability, terrorism social media posts, Twitter
  • Have a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk@insurancejournal.com

Featured Comment

  • December 21, 2016 at 2:06 pm
    Einstein says:
    Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 19
    Thumb down 0

    They should also sue the power company that provided power to the shooter’s computer, the manufacturer of the computer and the shooter’s internet provider because it is very obvious they were all at fault.

Latest Comments

  • January 10, 2017 at 12:33 pm
    I hope I am on the jury says:
    Unlike FB and GOOG, the power company does not make it a centerpiece of their business model to snoop into, gather and disseminate detailed information about the day to day de... read more
  • December 22, 2016 at 10:00 am
    Jax Agent says:
    .....and the manufacturer of the shooter's shoes because without those......
  • December 22, 2016 at 9:57 am
    Jax Agent says:
    If you are a lawyer and you want to make a lot of money you do this sort of extortion to the people with deep pockets. Has not one thing to do with actual liability or neglig... read more

Add a CommentSee All Comments (11)Add a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

More News
Ohio Settles Lawsuit With Chemical Companies For $110 Million Over PFAS Contamination
Insurance, Cat Bonds Can Help Boost Poorer Countries’ Resilience to Climate Risks
Mississippi Delivery Driver Sues FedEx, This Time in State Court, After Shooting Incident
Nigeria’s Worst Flood in Decade Caused Billions in Economic Damage
More News Features

Read This Next

  • Twitter, Google, Facebook Sued by Orlando Shooting Victims' Families
  • CFC Executives Walsh and Newman to Step Down After Lloyd's Misconduct Probe
  • State Supreme Court Upholds Attorney Fees in Tennessee Workers' Comp Case
  • 3M, DuPont Defeat Massive Class Action Over Forever Chemicals
  • P/C Insurers Face Challenging Claims Dynamics as Frequency, Severity Rise: Swiss Re

Insurance Jobs

  • Senior Consultant, Information Delivery - Hartford, CT
  • Financial/Actuarial Director (remote) - Atlanta, GA
  • Quality Development Technician (QDT) – Catastrophe - Chicago, IL
  • Sales Market Leader – VA - Richmond, VA
  • Total Loss Adjuster – Copart Trenton New Jersey - Pittsburgh, PA
MyNewMarkets
  • Trucking in Transition: Sector Faces Decline in Demand, Rising Costs and Changing Insurance Markets
  • The Connectivity Challenge and the Future of Insurance Agents
  • 3 Construction Innovations Changing Builders Risk Insurance Exposures
  • Hotel, Motel Markets ‘Dropping Like Flies’ As Outlook Remains Challenging
  • Bread and Butter
Claims Journal
  • FAA Wants New Planes to Capture More Cockpit Data to Boost Safety Probes
  • Lawsuit Alleges Negligence in Train Derailment and Chemical Fire that Forced Residents from Homes
  • Safety Officials Release Details of their Investigation into a Close Call Between Planes in Texas
  • Cybersecurity Agency Warns that Water Utilities Are Vulnerable to Hackers After Pennsylvania Attack
  • Chemical Firms to Pay $110M to Ohio to Settle Claims over Releases of 'Forever Chemicals'
Academy of Insurance education
  • December 7 Artificial Intelligence for the Insurance Industry
  • December 12 Hidden Hazards in Premise Liability Claims
  • December 14 Workers' Comp in 60 Minutes - How Agents Can Lead with Work Comp

Insurance News

  • News by Region
  • News by Topic
  • Yesterday

Site Search

Features

  • Insurance Markets Directory
  • Forums
  • A.M. Best Company Ratings
  • Industry Events
  • Agencies For Sale
  • Newswire
  • Insurance Jobs
  • Rankings & Awards

Connect with us

  • Email Newsletters
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • For Your Website
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Do Not Sell My Info

Insurance Journal

  • Submit News
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Reprints
  • Link to Us
  • Contact Us

Wells Media Group Network

  • Insurance Journal
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
© 2023 by Wells Media Group, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site Map