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Image: Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki at RDC 2025. By Bloxy News, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.
Plaintiffs who say they were sexually abused as children after being contacted through Roblox are asking a federal judge to keep their lawsuits in public court rather than force them into private arbitration, Reuters reports.
The dispute could have major consequences for the growing federal litigation against Roblox and Discord.
In an October 27 filing, plaintiffs argued that the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act prevents Roblox and Discord from enforcing arbitration provisions contained in their terms of service.
Roblox and Discord disagree. The companies have argued that the federal law was primarily aimed at workplace sexual harassment and assault disputes and does not apply to claims alleging that online platforms failed to protect users from misconduct by third parties. Both companies have denied liability for the alleged actions of users on their platforms.
A hearing on the arbitration dispute is scheduled for January 13, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco.
Arbitration in Roblox Lawsuits
Arbitration moves a dispute out of the traditional court system and into a private proceeding.
Roblox and Discord argue that users agreed to arbitration provisions when accepting the platforms’ terms of service.
Plaintiffs, however, contend that federal law gives survivors of sexual assault the right to pursue their claims in court despite contractual arbitration clauses.
Their attorneys also argue that public court proceedings could expose evidence about what Roblox and Discord knew about alleged grooming and child exploitation on their platforms, while arbitration generally takes place outside public view.
The issue is now being tested in selected bellwether cases within the federal litigation.
180 Roblox Lawsuits Pending in Federal MDL
The lawsuits have been consolidated as MDL No. 3166, In re: Roblox Corporation Child Sexual Exploitation and Assault Litigation, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
According to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation’s October 1, 2026 report, 180 actions were pending in the MDL.
The litigation alleges that adult predators used Roblox to contact children and, in some cases, moved conversations to Discord or other platforms where alleged grooming and exploitation continued.
Plaintiffs accuse the companies of failing to implement adequate safeguards or respond appropriately to known risks involving child users.
Roblox Child Exploitation Lawsuits
Federal lawsuits continue to allege that Roblox and other platforms failed to adequately protect children from grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse.
Federal Law at Center of Arbitration Fight
Congress enacted the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act in 2022.
The law allows certain people bringing sexual assault or sexual harassment claims to reject pre-dispute arbitration agreements and pursue their claims in court.
The Roblox plaintiffs argue that the statute applies to their cases because the underlying lawsuits arise from alleged childhood sexual abuse.
Roblox and Discord have taken a narrower view, arguing that the law does not override their arbitration agreements in lawsuits accusing online platforms of failing to prevent misconduct committed by users.
Judge Seeborg has not yet decided which interpretation will control.
The companies are expected to file reply briefs before the court considers the issue at the January hearing.
What Happens Next?
The January 13 hearing could become one of the most important early rulings in the Roblox child exploitation litigation.
If Judge Seeborg grants the companies’ motions, at least some claims could be removed from federal court and sent to private arbitration.
If he rejects the motions, the bellwether cases could continue through the public court system, potentially allowing broader discovery and later trials.
The ruling could also influence how arbitration defenses are handled across other lawsuits in MDL 3166.
Meanwhile, families continue to file lawsuits alleging that Roblox and other online platforms failed to adequately protect children from grooming and sexual exploitation.
SurvivorsRights.com will continue tracking the arbitration dispute and other developments in the federal Roblox litigation.
