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Retracted · 2026-07-21

out of scope: not a robot or autonomous-system incident; reclassified per fatality-page scope ruling 2026-07-21

Incident · Fatality · Retracted

Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash

Original claim shown above is no longer asserted. See the retraction notice for context.

The surviving parents of two boys who died in a high-speed car accident alleged that Snap negligently designed Snapchat's Speed Filter to incentivize dangerous driving. The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court dismissal in May 2021, ruling that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not immunize Snap from product-design liability claims. The case was remanded for further proceedings.

Occurred 2017-05-15 · Spectacles 5 at Global · Snap Inc · Global · Wearable AI

How to read this record

Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash

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Sources (2)

  1. Lemmon v. Snap, Inc., No. 20-55295 (9th Cir. 2021) · https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/20-55295/20-55295-2021-05-04.html · 2021-05-04
  2. https://www.courthousenews.com/parents-can-sue-snapchat-publisher-for-negligent-design-rules-ninth-circuit/

Status history

  • Retracted · 2026-07-21 · editor:cos

    out of scope: not a robot or autonomous-system incident; reclassified per fatality-page scope ruling 2026-07-21

Common questions

What happened in Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash?
The surviving parents of two boys who died in a high-speed car accident alleged that Snap negligently designed Snapchat's Speed Filter to incentivize dangerous driving. The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court dismissal in May 2021, ruling that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not immunize Snap from product-design liability claims. The case was remanded for further proceedings. This incident was later retracted; see the retraction banner at the top of the page for the correction.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on May 15, 2017 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash?
Spectacles 5 by Snap Inc is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Global.
Has anyone responded to Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash?
This incident is retracted on the DEPLOY registry. The page remains so the correction reaches readers, but the incident is suppressed from aggregate counts (company / model / location) so it no longer counts against anyone.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Ninth Circuit allowed negligent design lawsuit against Snap over Snapchat Speed Filter in fatal high-speed crash.

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Canonical ID f5b33b5b-0eeb-48ce-a54b-b5f7139ba063