Discord and Roblox Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleges Platforms’ Toxic Online Cultures Led to Teen’s Suicide

Prior to taking her own life, 13-year-old girl became part of a “True Crime Community,” which her mother claims admires and emulates mass shooters.

A Kentucky mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Discord Inc. and Roblox Corporation, alleging that both companies enabled predatory online communities that contributed to her 13-year-old daughter’s suicide.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Jaimee Seitz, individually and as administrator of the estate of Audree Heine, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on October 20, accusing the two tech companies of fostering environments that expose children to violent, exploitative and psychologically damaging content, while prioritizing user engagement and profits over safety.

Discord is a communication platform that allows users to interact through text, voice and video in virtual spaces called “servers.” Originally built for gamers, it now hosts communities spanning art, fandoms, education and social issues.

Roblox, launched in 2006, is a popular online gaming platform that lets users design and play games within shared virtual worlds. Its youthful audience, many under 16, can interact through customizable avatars and in-game purchases.

Although both platforms are often promoted as family-friendly, a growing number of Discord and Roblox sexual exploitation lawsuits claim they each fail to protect children from online predators. Complaints allege that inadequate safety measures have allowed grooming, harassment and exploitation to occur, which has resulted in sextortion, explicit image sharing, in-person assaults and lasting emotional harm, including attempted and actual suicides.

Teen Drawn Into “True Crime Community” That Glorified Violence

According to the complaint, Audree began using Roblox and Discord when she was just eight years old, with parental controls in place. Over time, she was bullied both online and offline, which made her more vulnerable to the influence of certain online groups.

The lawsuit centers on a network known as the “True Crime Community” (TCC)—an alleged subculture active on both Roblox and Discord. Seitz claims the TCC glorifies mass shooters, including those responsible for the Columbine High School massacre, portraying them as misunderstood victims who took revenge on their peers.

Within these communities, the lawsuit alleges that vulnerable users like Audree were encouraged to idolize violent figures and engage in self-harm as a way to cope with emotional pain. Despite parental safety settings, Seitz claims the platforms’ systems failed to block or flag these interactions. One week after her thirteenth birthday, Audree took her own life.

Algorithms and Inadequate Moderation Allegedly Amplified Harm

The lawsuit claims the platforms’ algorithms and reward systems are intentionally designed to maximize user engagement, including among minors, despite knowing these features can expose children to the kind of violent and predatory content that allegedly led to Audree’s death.

In addition, Discord and Roblox rely largely on user reports to flag harmful content, creating a system that is ineffective at protecting minors from grooming and violent online communities, the complaint indicates.

Furthermore, Seitz argues that both companies have long been aware of these risks through media reports and government investigations, yet they have failed to make any meaningful safety changes.

“As her mental health deteriorated, Audree recorded a countdown in her journal. The platforms facilitated this deterioration with their inadequate safety mechanisms, which failed to prevent Audree’s harmful interactions. Despite the parental controls that Plaintiff had attempted to place on Audree’s accounts, the platforms allowed predators to contact Audree and allowed these relationships to flourish until her death.”

—  Jaimee Seitz v. Roblox Corporation and Discord Inc.

Seitz raises allegations of fraudulent concealment and misrepresentations, negligent misrepresentation, negligence, failure to warn, unreasonable design, negligent undertaking, strict liability, design defect, and wrongful death against both defendants. She is seeking general, economic and special damages.

Roblox Has “Weaponized” Video Games To Increase Revenue

Seitz’s lawsuit is not the only recent allegation regarding a teenager’s wrongful death as a result of using the Roblox platform.

A separate complaint (PDF) brought by Candace Owens in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on October 17, accuses Roblox Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Mojang AB, and other unknown entities of exploiting childhood gaming addictions with the sole intent of increasing company revenue.

Owens indicates that her son, V.V., started playing Roblox and Microsoft’s Minecraft, which was originally designed by Mojang, at the age of 9. However, Owens contends that these companies have “weaponized” their online games, resulting in V.V. taking his own life three years after starting to play them.

The lawsuit claims that Microsoft and Roblox both used licensed psychologists to help them craft their games in such a way to take advantage of child psychology, so as to maximize play and company profits through continued in-game purchases.

Owens describes this as “operant conditioning,” a technique she claims has fueled rising rates of internet gaming disorder, which she states is the direct cause of her son’s suicide at the age of 12.

Owens accuses the named defendants of strict product liability, negligence, fraud and wrongful death. She is seeking general and special damages.

Roblox Sexual Exploitation Lawsuits October 2025 Update

The Seitz and Owens cases come amid a wave of Roblox lawsuits being filed over child exploitation and online harm in recent months.

To prevent duplicate discovery and conflicting rulings, a motion was filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) on September 18, asking to consolidate all Roblox child sexual exploitation lawsuits in one MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in the Northern District of California.

If the JPML approves this consolidation, all Roblox lawsuits involving child sexual exploitation would be coordinated before a single U.S. District Judge for pretrial proceedings. Each case would still move forward as an individual claim, and the lawsuits would be returned to their original federal courts for separate trials, should no global resolution or settlement be reached.

Families who believe they or their children were harmed by Roblox can request a free, confidential case evaluation from Roblox attorneys to determine whether they may qualify for legal action or compensation. Attorneys handle these claims on a contingency basis, with no fees or costs unless a recovery is obtained.

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