$25 Million Twitch Lawsuit Thrown Out
Streamers like Pokimane and Alinity have drawn the ire of many fans and fellow content creators alike, but one particular viewer decided to turn his spat with these female streamers into a judicial boxing match. Or at least, that was his plan. Instead, he was laughed out of court.
For a bit of backstory, in June of 2020, Erik Estavillo filed a lawsuit against Twitch. He alleged that the platform's "twisted programming net code" made it impossible for him to "use Twitch without being exposed to such sexual suggestive content." According to the lawsuit, this is problematic for Estavillo because he is a self-professed sex addict. Estavillo demanded that numerous female streamers, including the previously-mentioned Alinity, Pokimane, and Loserfruit, be permanently banned — and that he be awarded $25 million in "punitive damages."
On Nov. 24, Judge Thang Nguyen Barret of the Santa Clara Superior Court of California ruled that even though Estavillo provided plenty of documentation, none of it identified, let alone supported, his claims that Twitch broke California laws. In other words, Estavillo's lawsuit was found to be spurious and a complete waste of the court's time. Judge Barret not only sided against Estavillo, he also went one step further and followed the recommendation of Twitch's lawyers and threw out Estavillo's claims "with prejudice." For those not up to snuff on legal terminology, it means Estavillo can't use any form of judicial necromancy to resurrect the lawsuit.
Previously, Estavillo sued Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, and Blizzard to similar levels of success, i.e., none whatsoever. His lawsuit against Sony for banning his PlayStation 3 account was dismissed without prejudice, while his claim against Blizzard over forcing players to walk in World of Warcraft (yes, seriously) was likewise thrown out with prejudice. Estavillo's recent failed lawsuit is just the latest in a long line of contrived — and according to some, downright laughable — legal battles that few (if any) onlookers assumed would end in anything but failure.
Despite essentially being the laughingstock of the Santa Clara Superior Court, Estavillo is not giving up. He plans to appeal the ruling to the 6th District Court of Appeals, just like he did when he lost his PS3 lawsuit. However, his PS3 appeal went completely nowhere, and that was when his case wasn't thrown out with prejudice. Since Estavillo's anti-Twitch lawsuit was tossed with prejudice, odds are less than good that things will go according to his plan.