Netflix Pornhub doc buries troubling allegations of sex abuse and rape in lawsuit, attorneys say
Dozens of abuse victims continue to fight Pornhub parent company MindGeek after they alleged in 2021 that it monetized child pornography and rape uploaded to its websites.
A new Netflix documentary detailing problems within the online porn industry suggests victims are responsible for those issues, according to attorneys representing nearly 100 victims in their suit against Pornhub parent company MindGeek.
Michael Bowe, an attorney up against the world's largest pornography website, which boasts more annual website visits than Netflix, is featured in the streaming giant's film about the allegations against MindGeek called "Money Shot: The Pornhub Story," released on March 15.
But Bowe and fellow attorney Lauren Tabaksblat told Fox News Digital that the documentary presents an incoherent juxtaposition between adult content creators who want to work with Pornhub and rape victims who were exploited by the company.
It also suggests the rape victims are responsible for the industry-wide problems that sex workers are experiencing, they said.
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Their lawsuit – which was initially filed in 2021 on behalf of 38 women but has since accrued between 50 and 60 additional plaintiffs – alleges that MindGeek, a Canadian company, knew child pornography, rape and other forms of non-consensual content were being uploaded to and circulated on its porn websites.
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The suit also alleges that the company proactively incorporated that content into its search engine optimization to maximize web traffic and therefore make more money, Bowe and Tabaksblat said.
The attorneys said MindGeek tried to portray itself as a legitimate porn distributor, and while much of its adult content is legitimate, the company also allegedly commercialized child porn and rape. Bowe and Tabaksblat described the allegations against the company as pure evil.
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In one example, plaintiff Serena Fleites alleges that when she was 13 years old in 2014, her then-boyfriend pressured her into making an explicit video and then uploaded it to Pornhub.
The video apparently garnered 400,000 views by the time Fleites discovered it; it racked up even more views in the weeks it allegedly took for Pornhub to remove it. The complaint further alleges that the video was downloaded and re-uploaded to the site several times.
"Plaintiff’s life spiraled out of control," the lawsuit states. Fleites alleges that she dropped out of school, distanced herself from family and friends, attempted suicide multiple times, and met an older man who introduced her to heroin – all while she was still a minor.
"To fund her heroin addiction, Plaintiff—still a minor at this point—created sexually explicit videos at the older man’s behest, who in turn sold the videos on Craigslist. Some of the videos were uploaded to Pornhub and were still available on the website as recently as June 2020," the complaint states, describing the ordeal of removing content as a "whack-a-mole situation" for victims.
MindGeek told Fox News Digital in a statement that it has a "zero tolerance for illegal material or the bad actors who attempt to upload it on the internet," and its "policy is to immediately remove any content that is found to be in violation of our terms of service, and to review any material that is reported by users."
"No user can upload content to our platforms without uploading a government-issued ID that passes third-party verification. Any user has the ability to disable a piece of content on our platforms… and our policy is to immediately and automatically disable the material for further review," MindGeek said. "These policies are just a small part of MindGeek's industry-leading safeguards."
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The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that Pornhub has fewer incidents of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) than Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Pornhub also removes CSAM faster than the aforementioned websites.
Netflix's "Money Shot: The Pornhub Story" features commentary from adult film actors who say the lawsuit could – and has – threatened the future of porn websites and, therefore, their careers.
But Bowe and Tabaksblat argue that no part of their lawsuit would involve a pornography ban.
Their goal is not to institute an industry-wide ban but secure commercially feasible, industry-wide standards that will ensure only consensual content is the only content uploaded and distributed on porn sites, which companies like MindGeek and adult actors should want, Bowe and Tabaksblat said.
The attorneys also believe MindGeek has failed to take responsibility and steps necessary to compensate victims whose abuse appeared on its websites, which MindGeek disputes.
"The fight against illegal material on the internet must be led by effective policies, data and facts, and MindGeek is committed to remaining at the forefront of this fight," MindGeek said.
Ethical Capital Partners, a Canadian private equity firm, announced on March 16 – one day after the release of the Netflix documentary – that it had acquired MindGeek for an unspecified amount.
Solomon Friedman, an EPC partner, told The Financial Times that the firm is "not identifying the current executives, as there is an unfortunate stigma" with the porn industry.
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