The lawsuit was filed last week in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

Plaintiff Neal Barber accuses Chaturbate of negligence, claiming the company "willfully and knowingly" failed to provide him with "industry-standard mental health safeguards," such as content filters, wellness breaks, and trauma counseling.

Barber claims in the lawsuit that he has suffered "psychological trauma" and other severe emotional distress since being hired in 11/2020. His job was "customer service risk monitor" and content moderator for the adult website, which features live webcam performances often involving nudity and sexual activity.

The lawsuit explains that because platforms host large amounts of live, unfiltered, and explicit content, content moderators play a vital role in ensuring legal compliance, enforcing platform rules, and preventing the dissemination of illegal or abusive material.

Content moderators serve as "the first line of defense against child exploitation, non-consensual content, violent content, pornographic content, self-harm, and other violations." The lawsuit states that without them, adult websites "would become unmanageable, unsafe, and legally vulnerable."

Therefore, Barber and his colleagues "were and are regularly exposed to some of the most objectionable, disturbing, obscene, and psychologically damaging content available online."

The lawsuit alleges that Chaturbate's failure to protect its employees' mental health "was not simply a matter of routine workplace oversight but a willful disregard of obligations, including the duty to provide a safe and healthy work environment."

Barber's attorney stated in the lawsuit that his client's injuries "were not only foreseeable but preventable." Had the company implemented even the minimal preventative measures adopted by peer companies, Barber would not have suffered these injuries.

A spokesperson for Multi Media, LLC, the owner of the adult website, stated that the company takes content moderation seriously, values the work of its moderators, and remains committed to supporting them.

As of 4/2025, the website is the 40th most popular website globally and the 4th most popular adult website worldwide. The website generates revenue by taking approximately 40-50% of models’ earnings. Its average annual revenue is 32 million USD.

Hai Thu (According to Business Insider)