A US Court has dismissed a petition filed by the content moderators at Cognizant claiming that the company and Facebook failed to protect them against the psychological dangers posed by exposure to graphic images. The Court while dismissing the plaintiffs’ charges of fraudulent misrepresentation or concealment against Cognizant, stated that the plaintiffs failed to establish their case. The Court also denied their request for attorneys’ fees.
Factual Background
Over 3000 employees of Cognizant who worked as content moderators for Facebook filed a class-action complaint, last year, against the IT company and Facebook for allegedly causing psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The complaint said the claims exceed $5 million in the aggregate. The initial summons and complaint were served to Cognizant on February 11. The plaintiffs, Debrynna Garrett, and her colleague filed an amended class-action complaint on March 7 and demanded a jury trial. The class members are citizens of Florida and Arizona.
In their amended complaint, they detailed the risks of repeated exposure to images of extreme violence and sought to support their claims by citing numerous studies conducted by scientific organizations and government task forces. They alleged that Cognizant deliberately concealed or misrepresented the facts of a known danger, namely the dangers of exposure to “highly toxic, unsafe, and injurious content while providing content moderation services.”
Decision of Court
The Court dismissed the petition stating that the plaintiffs failed to establish their case. The Court also denied their request for attorneys’ fees.
Picture Source :
