Georgia Court of Appeals Affirms Dismissal in Case Against Snap

Snap achieved a legal victory on Oct. 30, 2020, with the Georgia Court of Appeals affirming the trial court’s dismissal of a complaint alleging that the Snapchat speedometer filter caused an automobile accident.

In Maynard et al. v. Snapchat, Inc., plaintiffs sued Snap alleging that Snap was at fault for injuries they suffered in an automobile accident. They claimed Snap was to blame for the accident because the other driver was allegedly motivated to drive recklessly by a desire to record a speed of 100 miles-per-hour using Snapchat’s speedometer filter, which allows users to display their real-time speed on an image or video.

Following the grant of Snapchat’s motion to dismiss, plaintiffs appealed. The Court of Appeals affirmed dismissal, holding that Snap did not have a tort-law duty to alter the speedometer filter to prevent intentional misuse by third parties. The court also observed that the speedometer filter has a number of lawful and safe uses, including when used while flying in an airplane or riding as a passenger stuck in a traffic jam.

Read the full ruling here.

Snap was represented by Munger, Tolles & Olson attorneys Jonathan Blavin, John Major and Anne Conley in this matter.