WASHINGTON, DC (February 10, 2026) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center filed a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court requesting the court review a 9th Circuit Court ruling in John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 v. Twitter, Inc. that held Section 230 provided Twitter (now X) with legal immunity for knowingly possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and for knowingly benefitting from a sex trafficking venture.
Plaintiffs John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 together were solicited and recruited for sex trafficking as minors. After they escaped from the manipulation, child sexual abuse material depicting them was disseminated on Twitter while they were still minors. When Twitter was alerted to this fact and the ages of the children, Twitter refused to remove the illegal material and instead continued to promote and profit from the sexual abuse of the children. Twitter even reported back to John Doe #1 that it had reviewed the video and decided that it did not violate any of their policies and would not be taken down. This resulted in the child sexual abuse material accumulating over 167,000 views before it was finally removed through federal law enforcement intervention.
“The Ninth Circuit erroneously held that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunized Twitter from its own decision to continue possessing and profiting from CSAM and sex trafficking in violation of federal law. We are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse this ruling and finally clarify the proper interpretation and scope of Section 230 protections,” said Dani Pinter, Chief Legal Officer and Director of the Law Center, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“From the beginning, Twitter has argued that it has complete immunity from suit, even if it knowingly possessed and profited from the distribution of CSAM. This is outrageous. No company, online or otherwise, is above the law. And Congress never intended Section 230, which was passed to incentivize good corporate behavior by online companies, to protect online platforms that knowingly harm children.
“Survivors who have suffered sexual abuse and exploitation at the hands of social media and other tech platforms deserve justice. Far too many victims have had the courthouse doors slammed shut while billion-dollar tech companies avoid accountability,” Pinter said.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center, the Haba Law Firm, and the Matiasic Firm represent the plaintiffs.
About The Haba Law Firm, P.A.
The Haba Law Firm is an award-winning law firm in Florida that provides excellence in civil litigation on behalf of human trafficking and sexual abuse survivors. Haba Law prides itself on its aggressive and effective representation, honesty, and trauma-informed, victim-centered advocacy.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
About The Matiasic Firm
The Matiasic Firm is an award-winning law firm based in California dedicated to providing the highest caliber trial advocacy to victims of sexual abuse, wrongful death, and catastrophic injuries. The firm is perennially lauded for its unrivaled acumen in these areas and its record-setting results, as the firm has garnered the highest recovery across three different categories of cases and four separate jurisdictions. The firm is regularly called upon to prosecute the highest-profile, socially impactful cases.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
