A federal appeals court has ruled that the world's largest pornographic website can be prosecuted in the United States for distributing child sexual material, a victory for abuse victims seeking retribution.
A California woman (Jane Doe) sued XVideos.com and its parent company, WebGroup Czech Republic (WGCZ), alleging that she was sex trafficked. Many of these sex acts were videotaped and uploaded to the XVideos website.
The lower court said that because WGCZ is an international corporation, Jane Doe cannot sue on jurisdictional grounds. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision and allowed the case to proceed.
Dani Pinter, senior legal counsel at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), one of the plaintiffs' law firms, said: “We are grateful that the court ruled on behalf of these courageous plaintiffs. “It will bring her one step closer to justice.”
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A federal court has ruled that the world's largest pornographic website can be prosecuted in the United States for distributing sexual content aimed at children. (Getty Images)
“This appellate decision binds Ninth Circuit precedent and will likely have a significant impact on survivors across the country,” Pinter said.
This decision ensures that “if a foreign website targets the U.S. market and profits from child sexual abuse material against U.S. children, it cannot avoid liability in the U.S. based on jurisdiction. ” she added.
Jane Doe is suing the company under the Human Trafficking Victim Protection Act. The law provides victims with a civil cause of action to sue entities that profit from child sex abuse material (CSAM).
According to NCOSE, while distributing and promoting this child sexual abuse material, XVideos profited financially by selling advertising and directing users to its website to view the videos. .
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Adult sites have come under increasing scrutiny, with allegations that they are not doing enough to prevent sites from hosting abusive content, including child pornography. (Nicholas Cocobris/NurPhoto)
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Pinter said one of his Jane Doe videos has been viewed 160,000 times and the United States is WGCZ's biggest customer.
The Ninth Circuit's ruling means Jane Doe can move forward with its lawsuit seeking damages from the company, and Pinter said the ruling will help survivors and victims seeking similar lawsuits. states that it has the potential to help both.
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A security guard stands in front of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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“The implications of this going forward are huge,” Pinter said, noting that there are at least five other lawsuits against porn sites such as Pornhub and xHampster.
Jane Doe's case will now be heard again in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
