There were 115 pending sexual abuse lawsuits in the Roblox multidistrict litigation in February after the plaintiffs’ attorneys won approval to have all lawsuits consolidated into a single federal MDL. The suits are filed on behalf of minors who claim they were sexually assaulted by someone they met while playing Roblox, and that Roblox did not do enough to protect them.
U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg, who was appointed to preside over the litigation, is expected to move toward selecting a small group of representative cases to prepare for bellwether trials.
However, plaintiffs have asked the judge to name a special master to assist with settlement negotiations, in hopes of resolving cases without the need for prolonged litigation.
“Given that the plaintiffs in this MDL are minors who have suffered severe trauma, prolonged litigation carries a significant risk of compounding that harm,” the plaintiffs said in a status report. “Accordingly, establishing an early and proactive resolution framework is critically important.”
They propose that the settlement master should be given the power to establish a procedure for the parties to enter into face-to-face negotiations. Lawyers for Roblox issued their own status report objecting to the appointment of a special master at this early stage of the litigation.