Raleigh-Area Teen Sues Roblox and Discord After Online Sexual Abuse; Child Predator Arrested
Lawsuit Alleges Gaming Platform Enabled Predator’s Grooming, Extortion of Child: GGH and Milberg Law Firms Represent Over 1,400 Sexual Abuse Victims on Roblox, Discord
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – [September 22, 2025] – A Wake County girl who says she was groomed at age 13 on Roblox and Discord is suing the tech platforms, alleging they allowed a man from Baton Rouge, Louisiana — later arrested on child-sex-crime charges — to exploit her online.
Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC and Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC filed the lawsuit in The United States District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges Roblox and Discord failed to implement basic safety measures – like age gating, stricter content moderation, stronger identity verification, and improved parental controls – to protect children from online predators.
In 2022, Plaintiff – now 16-years-old – was introduced 20-year-old Joseph Randall while playing Roblox. The lawsuit alleges their communication moved to Discord, where Randall sent Plaintiff explicit photos of himself, coerced her into reciprocating, and pressured her to harm herself. The filing says he also sent Plaintiff child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
In January 2025, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office arrested Randall in connection with Plaintiff’s abuse following a tip from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Randall was charged with indecent behavior with juveniles, computer-aided solicitation of a minor, and possession of CSAM involving children under 13. Investigators also uncovered evidence he extorted another underage girl in Texas by threatening to release explicit photographs he coerced from her.
In August 2025, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill referenced Randall in her lawsuit against Roblox. In that filing, she alleged Randall used voice-altering technology designed to mimic the voice of a young girl to lure and exploit minors on the platform.
“Federal and state authorities have already recognized Joseph Randall as a dangerous online predator,” said Martin D. Gould, Gould Grieco & Hensley Founding Partner. “Our client’s case reveals the devastating reality behind those charges – a child exploited and traumatized because Roblox and Discord failed to protect her.”
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports the dangers to children online are accelerating. In just the first six months of 2025, reports of online enticement surged from 292,951 last year to 518,720 this year. Even more alarming, reports of child sexual exploitation tied to generative artificial intelligence skyrocketed more than 6,000% in that same period.
“Behind every one of these reports is a child who has been abused, manipulated, and hurt,” said Steven L. Vanderporten, Partner at Gould Grieco & Hensley. “No parent should have to wonder if their child will be targeted the moment they log online to play a game designed for children and marketed to parents as safe.”
Internal accounts from former employees reveal Roblox knowingly deprioritized child safety in favor of user growth. One former staffer described the company’s approach succinctly:
“You have to make a decision, right? You can keep your players safe, but then it would be less of them on the platform. Or you just let them do what they want to do. And then the numbers all look good, and investors will be happy.”
Despite this, Roblox launched high-profile marketing campaigns assuring families “safety is in our DNA,” and touting “zero-tolerance” policies, which the complaint says covered up the threats children still faced on the platform.
“This is a clear betrayal of trust,” said Gary Klinger, Partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC. “Roblox insiders admit safety was not the priority, even as the company told parents their kids were protected.”
The lawsuit levels similar claims against Discord, which has long promoted “safety at the core of everything we do.” Yet law enforcement and watchdog groups have repeatedly linked the app to trafficking of CSAM and numerous criminal prosecutions.
“This isn’t just about one predator — it’s about companies that built platforms where children are left unprotected,” said Melissa Nafash, Partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC. “Until these corporations put children’s well-being above profits, families will continue to suffer.”
Plaintiff seeks compensatory and punitive damages through nine counts, including fraudulent misrepresentation, negligence, and strict liability claims.
The Plaintiff is represented by Martin D. Gould, Michael R. Grieco, and Steven L. Vanderporten of Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, Gary Klinger, Melissa Nafash, Melinda Maxson, and Alexander Wolf of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC.
About Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC
Gould Grieco & Hensley (GGH) is a boutique national personal injury firm dedicated to advocating for victims of abuse and catastrophic injuries in high-stakes litigation. We pride ourselves on being Innovators of Law and Providers of Justice.
Our attorneys have litigated and won cases nationwide, representing thousands of individuals, including thousands of survivors of rape, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse in many of the highest profile abuse cases across the country. These cases include claims against private and
public institutions such as University of Michigan (Dr. Robert Anderson), Michigan State University (Dr. Larry Nasser), Endeavor Health (Dr. Fabio Ortega), professional sports teams, private and public schools, elite private boarding schools, orphanages, foster care programs, hospitals, mental health facilities, Fortune 500 companies, wealthy individuals (Jeffrey Epstein), and numerous religious institutions and related entities. Recent successes include participating in global settlements valued at nearly $3 billion, with over $400 million recovered on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation in the past 18 months.
In addition to securing record recoveries, GGH attorneys have also worked with clients to fought for and secure policy changes, helping protect future generations of children and adults from abuse and exploitation. For example, as part of a recent $21.3 million settlement in the hotel abuse case last year (one of the largest settlements in the country for an individual survivor), the firm also successfully secured policy and training changes for thousands of hotels improving hotel pre-employment screening and safety for hotel guests and employees nationwide.
Firm website: www.GGHLaw.com.
About Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC
For over 50 years, Milberg and its affiliates have been fighting to protect victims’ rights and have recovered over $50 billion for clients. A pioneer in class action litigation, Milberg is widely recognized as a leader in defending the rights of victims of corporate wrongdoing.
Milberg is currently involved in some of the largest and most complex class action cases pending in the country and is particularly active in the field of Information Technology litigation. Over the past three years, Milberg has settled on a class-wide basis more than fifty (50) class actions involving privacy violations in state and federal courts across the country as lead or co-lead counsel; no other plaintiffs’ class action firm in the country has settled and won court approval of more data breach and data privacy class actions during this period.
The firm has successfully brought forth cybersecurity-related claims against major corporations including Meta Platforms, Snap Inc. (Snapchat), Walmart, Bose, CVS, Facebook, Gannett Co., Advocate Aurora Health, Inc., Novant Health, Inc. and more – resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
Milberg is equally committed to helping survivors of sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation seek justice. Milberg attorneys handle complex sexual abuse cases involving schools, juvenile detention facilities, religious institutions, healthcare providers, employers, and other entities that allowed abuse to occur.
Milberg is actively representing sexual abuse victims in cases against Expedia Group Inc. and Securitas Security Services USA Inc., real estate moguls Tal and Oren Alexander, and the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan. More information about Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC can be found on the firm’s website.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Zoe Chipalla
zchipalla@gghlaw.com