1 2 r^-.. ^ 0 0 '* Joseph R. Saveri (SBN 130064) Steven N. Williams (SBN 175489) 3 4 601 California Street, Suite 1000 San Ftandsco, CA 94108 5 Telephone: (415) 500-6800 Facsimile: (415) 395-9940 6 jsaveri@sa.vetilawfirm.coin swilUiams@saverilaw£u:m.coJ'n 7 kgibb oney@saverilawfirna.. corn vpj:entice@saverilawfij:m. corn 8 9 SEP 2 1 2018 KylaJ. Gibboney (SBN 301441) V Chai Oliver Prentice (SBN 309807) -JOSEPH SAVERI LAW FIRM, INC. Clerk of the Superior Coun By MIRNAP.RI\^RA.MART1NE2 "DEPUTY CLERK Attorneys for Plaintiff and the Proposed Class. Additional counsel on signature page. 10 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN MATEO 11 12 13 14 SELENA SCOIA, uidividuaUy and on behalf 15 16 17 18 Civil Action No. 18 C I V 05 1 3 5 of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF V. FACEBOOK, INC. and PRO UNLIMITED, INC., 19 CLASS ACTION Defendants. 20 NEED FOR ACTION 21 22 1. Plaintiff Selena Scola seeks to ptotect herself and all others similarly situated faotn the 23 dangers of psychological ttautna resulting ftom Facebook:'s failure to ptovide a safe workplace foi: the 24 thousands of contractots who are entrusted to piovide the safest eo.vuronment possible for Facebook 25 useis.' 26 27 28 1 This complaint does not contain additional and known alLegaticms con.ceraing Ms. Scola's experience as a content moderator at Pacebook. Such allegations provide gteatet factual support fot Facebook's abdicatton of its legal duties to protect people like Ms. Scola and the putative class members. This complain-t does not include these allegations because Ms. Scola. feats that Facebook may retaliate against her using a purported non-dlsclosute agreement ("NDA"). Ms. Scola 1 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTWE RELIEF 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Joseph R. Saveri (SBN 130064) Steven N. Williams (SBN 175489) Kyla J. Gibboney (SBN 301441) V Chai Oliver Prentice (SBN 309807) JOSEPH SAVERI LAW FIRM, INC. 601 California Street, Suite 1000 San Francisco, CA 94108 Telephone: (415) 500-6800 Facsimile: (415) 395-9940 jsaveri@saverilawfirm.com swillliams@saverilawfirm.com kgibboney@saverilawfirm.com vprentice@saverilawfirm.com Attorneys for Plaintiff and the Proposed Class. Additional counsel on signature page. 10 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN MATEO 11 12 13 14 SELENA SCOLA, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, 15 Plaintiff, 16 v. 17 FACEBOOK, INC. and PRO UNLIMITED, INC., 18 Civil Action No. _____________________ COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF CLASS ACTION Defendants. 19 20 NEED FOR ACTION 21 1. 22 Plaintiff Selena Scola seeks to protect herself and all others similarly situated from the 23 dangers of psychological trauma resulting from Facebook’s failure to provide a safe workplace for the 24 thousands of contractors who are entrusted to provide the safest environment possible for Facebook 25 users.1 26 27 28 This complaint does not contain additional and known allegations concerning Ms. Scola’s experience as a content moderator at Facebook. Such allegations provide greater factual support for Facebook’s abdication of its legal duties to protect people like Ms. Scola and the putative class members. This complaint does not include these allegations because Ms. Scola fears that Facebook may retaliate against her using a purported non-disclosure agreement (“NDA”). Ms. Scola 1 1 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 2. 1 Every day, Facebook users post millions of videos, images, and livestreamed broadcasts 2 of child sexual abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, suicide, and murder. To maintain a sanitized 3 platform, maximize its already vast profits, and cultivate its public image, Facebook relies on people 4 like Ms. Scola – known as “content moderators” – to view those posts and remove any that violate the 5 corporation’s terms of use. 3. 6 From her cubicle in Facebook’s Silicon Valley offices, Ms. Scola witnessed thousands 7 of acts of extreme and graphic violence. As another Facebook content moderator recently told the 8 Guardian, “You’d go into work at 9am every morning, turn on your computer and watch someone 9 have their head cut off. Every day, every minute, that’s what you see. Heads being cut off.” 4. 10 As a result of constant and unmitigated exposure to highly toxic and extremely 11 disturbing images at the workplace, Ms. Scola developed and suffers from significant psychological 12 trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”). 5. 13 In an effort to cultivate its image, Facebook helped draft workplace safety standards to 14 protect content moderators like Ms. Scola from workplace trauma. Other tech companies have 15 implemented these safety standards, which include providing moderators with robust and mandatory 16 counseling and mental health supports; altering the resolution, audio, size, and color of trauma- 17 inducing images; and training moderators to recognize the physical and psychological symptoms of 18 PTSD. 19 6. But Facebook ignores the workplace safety standards it helped create. Instead, the 20 multibillion-dollar corporation affirmatively requires its content moderators to work under conditions 21 known to cause and exacerbate psychological trauma. 22 23 7. By requiring its content moderators to work in dangerous conditions that cause debilitating physical and psychological harm, Facebook violates California law. 24 25 26 27 28 disputes the applicability of the NDA to this case, but out of an abundance of caution believes it is appropriate to later lodge an amended complaint supplementing these allegations with the additional allegations related to her experience as a content moderator at Facebook. 2 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 8. Without this Court’s intervention, Facebook and the company it outsources its hiring 2 to, Pro Unlimited, Inc., will continue avoiding their duties to provide content moderators with a safe 3 workplace. 4 9. On behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Ms. Scola brings this action to 5 stop these unlawful and unsafe workplace practices, to ensure Facebook and Pro Unlimited 6 (collectively, “Defendants”) provide content moderators with proper mandatory onsite and ongoing 7 mental health treatment and support, and to establish a medical monitoring fund for testing and 8 providing mental health treatment to the thousands of former and current content moderators affected 9 by Defendants’ unlawful practices. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 10 11 10. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over all causes of action alleged in this 12 Complaint pursuant to the California Constitution, Article VI, § 10, and is a Court of competent 13 jurisdiction to grant the relief requested. Plaintiff’s claims arise under the laws of the State of California, 14 are not preempted by federal law, do not challenge conduct within any federal agency’s exclusive 15 domain, and are not statutorily assigned to any other trial court. 16 11. This Court has personal jurisdiction over Pro Unlimited because the corporation 17 regularly conducts business in the State of California and has sufficient minimum contacts with 18 California. 19 12. 20 21 This Court has personal jurisdiction over Facebook because the corporation is headquartered in the County of San Mateo and regularly conducts substantial business there. 13. Venue is proper in this Court pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure sections 22 395 and 395.5. Facebook is headquartered in the County of San Mateo and conducts substantial 23 business there. The injuries that have been sustained as a result of Facebook’s illegal conduct occurred 24 in the County of San Mateo. PARTIES 25 26 27 14. Plaintiff Selena Scola is an adult resident of San Francisco, California. From approximately June 19, 2017 until March 1, 2018, Ms. Scola worked as a Public Content Contractor at 28 3 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 Facebook’s offices in Menlo Park and Mountain View, California. During this period, Ms. Scola was 2 employed solely by Pro Unlimited, Inc. 3 15. Defendant Pro Unlimited, Inc. is a contingent labor management company. Pro 4 Unlimited is incorporated in New York, with its principal office located at 7777 Glades Road, Suite 5 208, Boca Raton, Florida, 33434. 6 16. Defendant Facebook, Inc. is “a mobile application and website that enables people to 7 connect, share, discover, and communicate with each other on mobile devices and personal 8 computers.” Facebook is a publicly-traded corporation incorporated under the laws of Delaware, with 9 its headquarters located at 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, California, 94025. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS 10 11 12 13 14 15 A. Content moderators scour the most depraved images on the internet to protect Facebook users from trauma-inducing content. 17. Content moderation is the practice of removing online material that violates the terms of use for social networking sites like Facebook. 18. Instead of scrutinizing content before it is uploaded, Facebook relies on users to report 16 inappropriate content. Facebook receives more than one million user reports of potentially 17 objectionable content every day. Human moderators review the reported content – sometimes 18 thousands of videos and images every shift – and remove those that violate Facebook’s terms of use. 19 19. Facebook’s content moderators are asked to review more than 10 million potentially 20 rule-breaking posts per week. Facebook aims to do this with an error rate of less than one percent, and 21 seeks to review all user-reported content within 24 hours. 22 23 24 20. Facebook has developed hundreds of rules that its content moderators use to determine whether comments, messages, or images violate its policies. 21. According to Monika Bickert, head of global policy management at Facebook, 25 Facebook conducts weekly audits of every content moderator’s work to ensure that these rules are 26 being followed consistently. 27 28 22. In August 2015, Facebook rolled out Facebook Live, a feature that allows users to broadcast live video streams on their Facebook pages. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive 4 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 officer, considers Facebook Live to be instrumental to the corporation’s growth. Mr. Zuckerberg has 2 been a prolific user of the feature, periodically “going live” on his own Facebook page to answer 3 questions from users. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 23. But Facebook Live also provides a platform for users to livestream murder, beheadings, torture, and even their own suicides, including the following: In late April a father killed his 11-month-old daughter and livestreamed it before hanging himself. Six days later, Naika Venant, a 14-year-old who lived in a foster home, tied a scarf to a shower’s glass doorframe and hung herself. She streamed the whole suicide in real time on Facebook Live. Then in early May, a Georgia teenager took pills and placed a bag over her head in a suicide attempt. She livestreamed the attempt on Facebook and survived only because viewers watching the event unfold called police, allowing them to arrive before she died. 24. Facebook recognizes the dangers of exposing its users to images and videos of graphic violence. 25. On May 3, 2017, Mr. Zuckerberg announced: “Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen people hurting themselves and others on Facebook—either live or in video posted later. Over the next year, we’ll be adding 3,000 people to our community operations team around the world—on top of the 4,500 we have today—to review the millions of reports we get every week, and improve the process for doing it quickly. 20 These reviewers will also help us get better at removing things we don’t allow on Facebook like hate speech and child exploitation. And we’ll keep working with local community groups and law enforcement who are in the best position to help someone if they need it -- either because they’re about to harm themselves, or because they’re in danger from someone else.” 21 26. 18 19 22 According to Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, “Keeping people safe is our top priority. We won’t stop until we get it right.” 23 27. 24 around the world. 25 26 27 28 Today, Facebook employs or contracts to employ at least 7,500 content moderators B. Repeated exposure to graphic imagery can cause devastating psychological trauma, including PTSD. 28. It is well known that exposure to images of graphic violence can cause debilitating injuries, including PTSD. 5 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 29. 1 In a study conducted by the National Crime Squad in the United Kingdom, 76 percent 2 of law enforcement officers surveyed reported feeling emotional distress in response to exposure to 3 child abuse on the internet. The same study, which was co-sponsored by the United Kingdom’s 4 Association of Chief Police Officers, recommended that law enforcement agencies implement 5 employee support programs to help officers manage the traumatic effects of exposure to child 6 pornography. 30. 7 Another study found that “greater exposure to disturbing media was related to higher 8 levels of secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) and cynicism,” and that “substantial percentages 9 of investigators reported poor psychological well-being.” 31. 10 The Eyewitness Media Hub studied the effects of viewing videos of graphic violence, 11 including suicide bombing, and found that “40 percent of survey respondents said that viewing 12 distressing eyewitness media has had a negative impact on their personal lives.” 32. 13 In a study of 600 employees of the Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against 14 Children task force, the U.S. Marshals Service found that a quarter of the investigators surveyed 15 displayed symptoms of psychological trauma, including STSD. 33. 16 The current DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) recognizes repeated or 17 extreme exposure to aversive details of trauma through work-related media as diagnostic criteria for 18 PTSD. 19 34. Depending on many factors, an individual with psychological trauma and/or PTSD 20 may develop a range of subtle to significant physical symptoms, including extreme fatigue, cognitive 21 disassociation, difficulty sleeping, excessive weight gain, anxiety, and nausea. 22 23 24 25 26 35. PTSD symptoms may manifest soon after the traumatic event, or they may develop over time and manifest later in life. C. Facebook helped craft industry standards for minimizing harm to content moderators but failed to implement those standards. 36. In 2006, Facebook helped create the Technology Coalition, a collaboration of internet 27 service providers (“ISPs”) aiming “to develop technology solutions to disrupt the ability to use the 28 Internet to exploit children or distribute child pornography.” 6 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 37. 2 allegations herein. 3 38. 4 5 6 7 Facebook was a member of the Technology Coalition at all times relevant to the In January 2015, the Technology Coalition published an “Employee Resilience Guidebook for Handling Child Sex Abuse Images” (the “Guidebook”). 39. According to the Guidebook, the technology industry “must support those employees who are the front line of this battle.” 40. The Guidebook recommends that ISPs implement a robust, formal “resilience” 8 program to support content moderators’ well-being and mitigate the effects of exposure to trauma- 9 inducing imagery. 10 41. With respect to hiring content moderators, the Guidebook recommends: 11 a. In an informational interview, “[u]se industry terms like “child sexual abuse imagery” and “online child sexual exploitation” to describe subject matter.” 12 b. In an informational interview, “[e]ncourage candidate to go to websites [like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children] to learn about the problem.” 13 c. In follow-up interviews, “[d]iscuss candidate’s previous experience/knowledge with this type of content.” 14 15 d. In follow-up interviews, “[d]iscuss candidate’s current level of comfort after learning more about the subject.” 16 e. In follow-up interviews, “[a]llow candidate to talk with employees who handle content about their experience, coping methods, etc.” 17 18 f. In follow-up interviews, “[b]e sure to discuss any voluntary and/or mandatory counseling programs that will be provided if candidate is hired.” 19 20 42. With respect to safety on the job, the Guidebook recommends: 21 a. Limiting the amount of time an employee is exposed to child pornography; 22 b. Teaching moderators how to assess their own reaction to the images; 23 c. Performing a controlled content exposure during the first week of employment with a seasoned team member and providing follow up counseling sessions to the new employee; 24 25 26 d. Providing mandatory group and individual counseling sessions administered by a professional with specialized training in trauma intervention; and e. Permitting moderators to “opt-out” from viewing child pornography. 27 28 7 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 2 43. exposure to graphic content: a. Limiting time spent viewing disturbing media to “no more than four consecutive hours.” 3 4 b. “Encouraging switching to other projects, which will allow professionals to get relief from viewing images and come back recharged and refreshed.” 5 6 c. Using “industry-shared hashes to more easily detect and report [content] and in turn, limit employee exposure to these images. Hash technology allows for identification of exactly the same image previously seen and identified as objectionable.” 7 8 9 d. Prohibiting moderators from viewing child pornography one hour before the individuals leave work. 10 e. Permitting moderators to take time off as a response to trauma. 11 12 The Technology Coalition also recommends the following practices for minimizing 44. According to the Technology Coalition, if a company contracts with a third-party 13 vendor to perform duties that may bring vendor employees in contact with graphic content, the 14 company should clearly outline procedures to limit unnecessary exposure and should perform an initial 15 audit of a contractor’s wellness procedures for its employees. 16 45. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also promulgates 17 guidelines for protecting content moderators from psychological trauma. For instance, NCMEC 18 recommends changing the color or resolution of the image, superimposing a grid over the image, 19 changing the direction of the image, blurring portions of the image, reducing the size of the image, and 20 muting audio. 21 46. Based on these industry standards, some ISPs take steps to minimize harm to content 22 moderators. For instance, at one ISP, “[t]he photos are blurred, rendered in black and white, and shown 23 only in thumbnail sizes. Audio is removed from video.” Filtering technology is used to distort images, 24 and moderators are provided with mandatory psychological counseling. 25 47. At another ISP, each applicant for a content moderator position is assessed for 26 suitability by a psychologist, who asks about their support network, childhood experiences, and 27 triggers. Applicants are then interviewed about their work skills before proceeding to a final interview 28 where they are exposed to child sexual abuse imagery. Candidates sit with two employees of the ISP 8 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 and review a sequence of images getting progressively worse, working towards the worst kinds of sexual 2 violence against children. This stage is designed to see how candidates cope and let them decide 3 whether they wish to continue with the role. Once they accept the job, analysts have an enhanced 4 background check before they start their six months’ training, which involves understanding criminal 5 law, learning about the dark web, and, crucially, building resilience to looking at traumatic content. 6 48. Facebook does not provide its content moderators with sufficient training or 7 implement the safety standards it helped develop. Facebook content moderators review thousands of 8 trauma-inducing images each day, with little training on how to handle the resulting distress. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 49. As one moderator described the job: “[The moderator] in the queue (production line) receives the tickets (reports) randomly. Texts, pictures, videos keep on flowing. There is no possibility to know beforehand what will pop up on the screen. The content is very diverse. No time is left for a mental transition. It is entirely impossible to prepare oneself psychologically. One never knows what s/he will run into. It takes sometimes a few seconds to understand what a post is about. The agent is in a continual situation of stress. The speed reduces the complex analytical process to a succession of automatisms. The moderator reacts. An endless repetition. It becomes difficult to disconnect at the end of the eight-hour shift.” D. Plaintiff Scola’s individual allegations. 50. From approximately June 19, 2017 until March 1, 2018, Plaintiff Selena Scola was 18 employed by Pro Unlimited as a Public Content Contractor at Facebook’s offices in Menlo Park and 19 Mountain View, California. 20 21 51. During this period, Ms. Scola was employed solely by Pro Unlimited, an independent contractor of Facebook. 22 52. Ms. Scola has never been employed by Facebook in any capacity. 23 53. During her employment as a content moderator, Ms. Scola was exposed to thousands 24 25 26 27 28 of images, videos, and livestreamed broadcasts of graphic violence. 54. Ms. Scola developed and continues to suffer from debilitating PTSD as a result of working as a Public Content Contractor at Facebook. 55. Ms. Scola’s PTSD symptoms may be triggered when she touches a computer mouse, enters a cold building, watches violence on television, hears loud noises, or is startled. Her symptoms 9 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 are also triggered when she recalls or describes graphic imagery she was exposed to as a content 2 moderator. CLASS ACTION ALLEGATIONS 3 4 5 6 56. Plaintiff Selena Scola brings this class action individually and on behalf of all California citizens who performed content moderation work for Facebook within the last three years. 57. Excluded from this definition are the Defendants and their officers, directors, 7 management, employees, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and any federal, state, or local governmental 8 entities, any judicial officer presiding over this action and the members of his/her immediate family 9 and judicial staff, and any juror assigned to this action. Plaintiff reserves the right to revise the class 10 11 definition based upon information learned through discovery. 58. The class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable. Plaintiff does 12 not know the exact size of the class since that information is within the control of Facebook. However, 13 upon information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that the number of class members is numbered in the 14 thousands. Membership in the class is readily ascertainable from Defendants’ employment records. 15 16 17 59. Plaintiff’s claims are typical of the claims of the class, as all members of the class are similarly affected by Defendants’ wrongful conduct. 60. There are numerous questions of law or fact common to the class, and those issues 18 predominate over any question affecting only individual class members. The common legal and factual 19 issues include the following: 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 a. Whether Defendants committed the violations of the law alleged herein; b. Whether Defendants participated in and perpetrated the tortious conduct complained of herein; c. Whether Facebook’s duty of care included the duty to warn the class of and protect the class from the health risks and the psychological impact of content moderating; d. Whether Plaintiff and the class are entitled to an order directing Defendants to establish one or more funds to pay for the expense of future medical monitoring and medical care for Plaintiff and the class; e. Whether injunctive relief should be awarded in the form of an order directing Facebook comply with industry guidelines for safety in content moderation; and 28 10 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 f. Whether relief should be awarded in the form of an order directing Facebook to establish a medical monitoring fund. 2 3 61. The claims asserted by Plaintiff are typical of the claims of the class, in that the 4 representative plaintiff, like all class members, was exposed to highly toxic, unsafe, and injurious 5 content during her employment as a content moderator at Facebook. Each member of the proposed 6 class has been similarly injured by Defendants’ misconduct. 7 62. Plaintiff will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Plaintiff has retained 8 attorneys experienced in class actions and complex litigation. Plaintiff intends to vigorously prosecute 9 this litigation. Neither Plaintiff nor her counsel have interests that conflict with the interests of the 10 11 other class members. 63. Plaintiff and the class members have all suffered and will continue to suffer harm 12 resulting from Defendants’ wrongful conduct. A class action is superior to other available methods for 13 the fair and efficient adjudication of the controversy. Treatment as a class action will permit a large 14 number of similarly situated persons to adjudicate their common claims in a single forum 15 simultaneously, efficiently, and without the duplication of effort and expense that numerous individual 16 actions would engender. Class treatment will also permit the adjudication of claims by many members 17 of the proposed class who could not individually afford to litigate a claim such as is asserted in this 18 complaint. This class action likely presents no difficulties in management that would preclude 19 maintenance as a class action. FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION NEGLIGENCE (as against Facebook only) 20 21 22 64. Plaintiff realleges and incorporates by reference herein all allegations above. 23 65. A hirer of an independent contractor is liable to an employee of the contractor insofar 24 25 as a hirer’s exercise of retained control affirmatively contributed to the employee’s injuries. 66. If a hirer entrusts work to an independent contractor but retains control over safety 26 conditions at a jobsite and then negligently exercises that control in a manner that affirmatively 27 contributes to an employee’s injuries, the hirer is liable for those injuries, based on its own negligent 28 11 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 exercise of that retained control. When the hirer actively retains control, it cannot logically be said to 2 have delegated that authority. 3 67. 4 Unlimited. 5 68. 6 7 8 9 At all times relevant to the allegations herein, Plaintiff was an employee of Pro Facebook retained control over the safety of Plaintiff and the class by actively directing the mode, means, and method of content moderation work at its California offices. 69. Facebook negligently exercised that retained control in a manner that affirmatively contributed to the injuries of Plaintiff and the class. 70. Facebook had a duty to provide Plaintiff and the class with necessary and adequate 10 safety and instructional materials, warnings, and means to reduce and/or minimize the physical and 11 psychiatric risks associated with exposure to graphic imagery. 12 13 14 71. Facebook was aware or should have been aware that the workplace could be made safe if proper precautions were followed. 72. Facebook was also aware of the psychological trauma that could be caused by viewing 15 video, images, and/or livestreamed broadcasts of child abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, 16 suicide, murder, and other forms of extreme violence. As a result, Facebook had a duty to monitor and 17 follow up with content moderators, who are exposed to such content each day. 18 73. Facebook breached its duty by failing to provide the necessary and adequate safety and 19 instructional materials, warnings, and means to reduce and/or minimize the physical and psychiatric 20 risks associated with exposure to graphic imagery. 21 22 23 24 25 74. As a result of Facebook’s tortious conduct, Plaintiff and the class have experienced an increased risk of developing serious mental health injuries, including PTSD. 75. The PTSD from which Plaintiff suffers requires specialized testing with resultant treatment that is not generally given to the public at large. 76. The medical monitoring regime includes, but is not limited to, baseline tests and 26 diagnostic examinations which will assist in diagnosing the adverse health effects associated with 27 exposure to trauma. This diagnosis will facilitate the treatment and behavioral and/or pharmaceutical 28 12 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 interventions that will prevent or mitigate various adverse consequences of the post-traumatic stress 2 disorder and diseases associated with exposure to graphic imagery. 3 4 5 77. Monitoring and testing Plaintiff and the class will significantly reduce the risk of long- term injury, disease, and economic loss. 78. Plaintiff seeks an injunction creating a court-supervised, Facebook-funded medical 6 monitoring program to facilitate the diagnosis and adequate treatment of Plaintiff and the class for 7 psychological trauma, including but not limited to PTSD. The medical monitoring should include a 8 trust fund to pay for the medical monitoring and treatment of Plaintiff and the class as frequently and 9 appropriately as necessary. 10 79. Plaintiff and the class have no adequate remedy at law, in that monetary damages alone 11 cannot compensate them for the continued risk of developing long-term physical and economic losses 12 due to serious and debilitating mental health injuries. Without court-approved medical monitoring as 13 described herein or established by the Court, Plaintiff and the class will continue to face an 14 unreasonable risk of continued injury and disability. SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION CALIFORNIA UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW (as against Pro Unlimited only) 15 16 17 80. Plaintiff realleges and incorporates by reference herein all allegations above. 18 81. The California Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 et 19 seq., UCL §17200 provides, in pertinent part, that “unfair competition shall mean and include unlawful, 20 unfair or fraudulent business practices and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising . . . .” 21 82. Under the UCL, a business act or practice is “unlawful” if it violates any established 22 state or federal law. 23 83. Section 6400 of California’s Labor Code requires employers to “furnish employment 24 and a place of employment that is safe and healthful for the employees therein.” Similarly, § 6401 25 requires every employer to “furnish and use safety devices and safeguards, and [to] adopt and use 26 practices, means, methods, operations, and processes which are reasonably adequate to render such 27 employment and place of employment safe and healthful.” 28 13 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 84. To protect employees from unsafe workplaces, California law requires that “[e]very 2 employer shall do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and health of 3 employees.” Cal. Labor Code § 6401. This includes “establish[ing], implement[ing], and maintain[ing] 4 an effective injury prevention program.” Cal. Labor Code § 6401.7. Employers must “provide and use 5 safety devices and safeguards reasonably adequate to render the employment and place of employment 6 safe”; “adopt and use methods and processes reasonably adequate to render the employment and place 7 of employment safe”; and “do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and 8 health of employees.” Cal. Labor Code § 6403. 9 10 11 12 13 85. No employer can “require or permit any employee to go or be in any employment or place of employment which is not safe and healthful.” Cal. Labor Code § 6402. 86. Pro Unlimited’s failure to provide a safe workplace for Plaintiff and its former and current employees violates, inter alia, Labor Code §§ 6400, 6401, 6401.7, 6402 and 6403. 87. Pro Unlimited did not provide Plaintiff or the class with a safe working environment. 14 Pro Unlimited routinely and repeatedly exposed Plaintiff and the class to content known to cause 15 psychological trauma and PTSD. Even though Pro Unlimited knew of and could have reasonably 16 implemented adequate safety measures, the company refused to implement necessary and adequate 17 safety and instructional materials, warnings, and means to reduce and/or minimize the risks associated 18 with exposure to graphic imagery. 19 88. Pro Unlimited required Plaintiff and the class to work in unsafe conditions every day. 20 89. Pro Unlimited’s illegal conduct was willful and serious, and directly caused harm to 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Plaintiff and the class. 90. Plaintiff suffered an injury in fact because of Pro Unlimited’s conduct and has lost money because of Pro Unlimited’s conduct. 91. Specifically, Plaintiff paid for medical treatment and therapy to treat PTSD, which was caused by Pro Unlimited’s conduct. 92. There were reasonably available alternatives to further Pro Unlimited’s legitimate business interests, other than the conduct described herein. 28 14 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 2 3 93. Pro Unlimited’s failure to follow worker safety laws amounts to an unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practice under California Business and Professions Code § 17200. 94. Plaintiff seeks all appropriate injunctive relief pursuant to Business and Professions 4 Code § 17203, including an order requiring Pro Unlimited to implement safety guidelines for all content 5 moderators. 6 95. Plaintiff seeks an injunction creating a court-supervised, Pro Unlimited-funded medical 7 monitoring program facilitating the diagnosis and adequate treatment of Plaintiff and the class for 8 psychological injuries, including but not limited to PTSD. The medical monitoring should include a 9 trust fund to pay for the medical monitoring and treatment of Plaintiff and the class as frequently and 10 11 12 13 appropriately as necessary. 96. complete remedy if such an order is not granted. 97. 14 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Plaintiff also seeks an award of attorney’s fees. THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION CALIFORNIA UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW (as against Facebook only) 15 16 Plaintiff and the class will be irreparably harmed and/or denied an effective and 98. Plaintiff realleges and incorporates by reference herein all allegations above. 99. Facebook’s negligent exercise of retained control Plaintiff and the class violates the California common law. 100. Facebook’s failure to provide a safe workplace for Plaintiff and the class violates the California common law. 101. If a hirer entrusts work to an independent contractor but retains control over safety conditions at a jobsite and then negligently exercises that control in a manner that affirmatively contributes to an employee’s injuries, the hirer is liable for those injuries, based on its own negligent exercise of that retained control. Because the hirer actively retains control, it cannot logically be said to have delegated that authority. 102. At all times relevant to the allegations herein, Plaintiff was an employee of Pro Unlimited. 28 15 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 2 3 4 5 103. Facebook retained control over the safety of Plaintiff and the class by actively directing the mode, means, and method of content moderation work at its California offices. 104. Facebook negligently exercised that retained control in a manner that affirmatively contributed to the injuries of Plaintiff and the class. 105. Facebook had a duty to provide Plaintiff and the class with necessary and adequate 6 safety and instructional materials, warnings, and means to reduce and/or minimize the risks associated 7 with exposure to graphic imagery. 8 9 10 106. Facebook was aware or should have been aware that the workplace could be made safe if proper precautions were followed. 107. Facebook was also aware of the psychological trauma that could be caused by viewing 11 video, images, and/or livestreamed broadcasts of child abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, 12 suicide, murder, and other forms of extreme violence. As a result, Facebook has a duty to monitor and 13 follow up with those who are repeatedly exposed to such content. 14 108. Facebook breached its duty by failing to provide the necessary and adequate safety and 15 instructional materials, warnings, and means to reduce and/or minimize the risks associated with 16 exposure to graphic imagery. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 109. Facebook’s illegal conduct was willful and serious, and directly caused harm to Plaintiff and the class. 110. Plaintiff suffered an injury in fact because of Facebook’s conduct and has lost money because of Facebook’s conduct. 111. Specifically, Plaintiff paid out of pocket for medical treatment and therapy for her PTSD, which was caused by Facebook’s conduct. 112. There were reasonably available alternatives to further Facebook’s legitimate business interests, other than the conduct described herein. 113. Plaintiff seeks all appropriate injunctive relief pursuant to Business and Professions 26 Code Section 17203 including an order requiring Facebook to implement safety guidelines for all 27 content moderators. 28 16 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 114. Plaintiff seeks an injunction creating a court-supervised, Facebook-funded medical 2 monitoring program facilitating the diagnosis and adequate treatment of Plaintiff the class for 3 psychological injuries, including but not limited to PTSD. The medical monitoring should include a 4 trust fund to pay for the medical monitoring and treatment of Plaintiff and the class as frequently and 5 appropriately as necessary. 6 115. Plaintiff also seeks an award of attorney’s fees. FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION CALIFORNIA UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW (as against Facebook only as “Special Employer”) 7 8 9 116. Plaintiff realleges and incorporates by reference herein all allegations above. 10 117. Solely in the alternative and to the extent that the Court concludes that Facebook is a 11 “special employer” of Plaintiff and the class, Plaintiff brings this fourth cause of action under the UCL 12 for failure to provide a safe workplace. 13 118. Section 6400 of California’s Labor Code requires employers to “furnish employment 14 and a place of employment that is safe and healthful for the employees therein.” Similarly, Section 6401 15 requires every employer to “furnish and use safety devices and safeguards, and [to] adopt and use 16 practices, means, methods, operations, and processes which are reasonably adequate to render such 17 employment and place of employment safe and healthful.” 18 119. To protect employees from unsafe work places, California law requires that “[e]very 19 employer shall do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and health of 20 employees.” Cal. Labor Code § 6401. This includes “establish[ing], implement[ing], and maintain[ing] 21 an effective injury prevention program.” Cal. Labor Code § 6401.7. Employers must “provide and use 22 safety devices and safeguards reasonably adequate to render the employment and place of employment 23 safe”; “adopt and use methods and processes reasonably adequate to render the employment and place 24 of employment safe”; and “do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and 25 health of employees.” Cal. Labor Code § 6403. 26 27 120. No employer can “require or permit any employee to go or be in any employment or place of employment which is not safe and healthful.” Cal. Labor Code § 6402. 28 17 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 121. Facebook did not provide a safe working environment. Facebook routinely and 2 repeatedly exposed Plaintiff and the class to content known to cause psychological trauma, including 3 PTSD. Even though Facebook knew of and could have reasonably implemented adequate safety 4 measures, the corporation refused to implement necessary and adequate safety and instructional 5 materials, warnings, and means to reduce and/or minimize the risks associated with exposure to 6 graphic content. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 122. Facebook’s failure to provide a safe workplace for Plaintiff and the class violates, inter alia, California Labor Code §§ 6400, 6401, 6401.7, 6402 and 6403. 123. Facebook’s illegal conduct was willful and serious, and directly caused harm to Plaintiff and the class. 124. Plaintiff suffered an injury in fact because of Facebook’s conduct and has lost money because of Facebook’s conduct. 125. Specifically, Plaintiff paid out of pocket for medical treatment and therapy for her PTSD, which was caused by Facebook’s conduct. 126. There were reasonably available alternatives to further Facebook’s legitimate business interests, other than the conduct described herein. 127. Facebook’s failure to follow worker safety laws amounts to an unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practice under California Business and Professions Code § 17200. 128. Plaintiff seeks all appropriate injunctive relief pursuant to Business and Professions 20 Code § 17203, including an order requiring Facebook to implement safety guidelines for all content 21 moderators. 22 129. Plaintiff seeks an injunction creating a court-supervised, Facebook-funded medical 23 monitoring program facilitating the diagnosis and adequate treatment of Plaintiff and the class for 24 psychological injuries, including but not limited to PTSD. The medical monitoring should include a 25 trust fund to pay for the medical monitoring and treatment of Plaintiff and the class as frequently and 26 appropriately as necessary. 27 28 18 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 130. Plaintiff and the class will be irreparably harmed and/or denied an effective and 2 complete remedy if such an. order is not granted. 3 131. Plainri.ffa.lso seeks an. award of attorney's fees. 4 II PRAYER FOR RELIEF 5 I WHEREFORE, Plaintiff, individuaUy and on behalf of the class, requests that the Court: 6 a. Certify this action as a class action, with a class as defined above; 7 b. Find that Plaindff is a proper representative of the class, and appoint the undersigned as class counsel; c. Order Defendants to pay for notifying class members of the pcndency of this suit; 9 d. Award declaratory and othec equitable relief as is necessary to protect the interests of Plaintiff, class members, and all former and current content tnoderators employed by a third party to provide content moderation to Facebook; e. Award injunctive relief as is necessary to protect the interests of Plaintiff and class Y^ members, including enjoining Defendants faom contLnumg to conduct business through the unlawful and unfair practices aUeged herein; 13 f. Require Facebook and Pro Unlimited to establish a fund in an amount to be determined -^4 by th-e Court, for the purpose of establishing and tnaintaming a testing and treatment program, whereby Plaintiff, the class, and aU. former and current content moderators 15 employed by a third party to provide content moderation to Facebook wiU. receive ongoing medical testing and tnonitormg and, if necessary, medical and psychiatric treatment until it ^ 6 can be determined that their psychological trauma is no longer a threat to their health, 17 g. Award Plaintiff and class members their reasonable litigation. expenses and attorneys' fees; 18 and h. Award any further relief that the Court deems just and equitable. 19 20 Dated: September 20, 2018 Respectfully. Submitted, 21 :t / ' Joseph R.-8'averi (^BlSF l^OO^) ^ 22 Stev-en-N. WUU^ns::(SBN 1754S9)' KylaJ:~Gl6boney (SBN 301441) V Chai Oliver Prentice (SBN 309807) ^4 JOSEPH SAVERI LAW FIRM, INC. 601 California Street, Suite 1000 25 SanF£andsco,CA94108 Telephone: (415) 500-6800 26 Facsimile: (415) 395-9940 jsaveri@saverilawfitm.com swillliams (aisaverUawfirm. corn kgibboney@saverilawfimi.com 2g vprendcc@saverilawfutn.com 19 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Korey A. Nelson (pro hac vice to be filed) knelson@burnscharest.com Lydia A. Wright (pro hac vice to be filed) lwright@burnscharest.com Amanda Klevorn (pro hac vice to be filed) aklevornA@burnscharest.com BURNS CHAREST LLP 365 Canal Street, Suite 1170 New Orleans, LA 70130 Telephone: (504) 799-2845 Facsimile: (504) 881-1765 8 9 10 11 12 13 Warren Burns (pro hac vice to be filed) wburns@burnscharest.com Kyle Oxford (pro hac vice to be filed) koxford@burnscharest.com BURNS CHAREST LLP 900 Jackson St., Suite 500 Dallas, Texas 75202 Telephone: (469) 904-4550 Facsimile: (469) 444-5002 16 William Most (SBN 279100) williammost@gmail.com LAW OFFICE OF WILLIAM MOST 201 St. Charles Ave. Suite 114 #101 New Orleans, LA 70170 Telephone: (504) 509-5023 17 Attorneys for Plaintiff and the Proposed Class. 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF