Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued Discord on October 15, 2026, alleging the messaging platform marketed itself to families as safe for children while failing to verify users’ ages, leaving minors on weak default safety settings and exposing them to predators. Discord disputes the suit; the state seeks penalties and court orders, and there is nothing for consumers to claim.
Allegations Only · No Settlement Yet
This article describes a lawsuit filed by a state attorney general. The statements below are unproven allegations. Discord has not been found liable, and there is nothing for consumers to claim. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is Florida’s Lawsuit Against Discord?
The Office of the Attorney General, State of Florida, Department of Legal Affairs filed the complaint on October 15, 2026 in the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in and for Glades County. The defendant is Discord Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in San Francisco that runs the Discord voice, video and text chat app and sells its Nitro and Nitro Basic subscriptions in Florida. The 65-page complaint follows a civil investigation and subpoena that Uthmeier’s office announced in March 2026, and it demands a jury trial.The complaint brings seven counts:
• Counts I–III — unfair, unconscionable and deceptive practices under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA)
• Count IV — violation of section 501.1735, Florida Statutes, the state law on processing children’s personal information on online platforms
• Count V — negligence, defective product
• Count VI — negligent misrepresentation
• Count VII — public nuisance
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What Does Florida Allege?
The complaint opens with eight cases in which, it says, adults used Discord to groom or sexually exploit minors, and it alleges those cases are no accident. According to the state, Discord marketed itself to children and parents as a safe way for kids to talk with friends, while designing its platform for years without serious safety features for children. It alleges that a new account requires only an email address, username, password and date of birth, and that Discord does not verify a user’s identity or age even though it says its services are not directed to children under 13. The complaint says Discord reported about 2.7 million U.S. monthly active users under 18 as of February 2024.The state also alleges that, until September 22, 2026, Discord did not apply heightened safety settings to children’s accounts by default and let children unblur sensitive media sent by friends and server members. It says Discord’s default settings let anyone send a child a friend request and let members of a shared server send a child direct messages. It says Discord shifts much of the work of safety onto volunteer server moderators and user reports, that most of its enforcement actions are temporary, and that banned users can easily return under new accounts. Under the children’s online law, the state alleges Discord processes minors’ personal information with actual knowledge or willful disregard that doing so can lead to sexual exploitation and other substantial harm. These are allegations that no court has decided.
What About Discord’s September 2026 Safety Changes?
Discord announced an age assurance system and new default protections for teens on September 22, 2026, about six months after Florida opened its investigation. The complaint calls the rollout “too little, too late” and says that “late-breaking and insufficient announcement cannot undo the harm already caused in violation of Florida law; nor will it fully remedy the problem going forward.”What Is Florida Asking For?
The complaint asks the court to permanently bar the practices it describes and to award civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each willful FDUTPA violation, up to $50,000 for each violation of the children’s online law, and up to $150,000 for each such violation where Discord had actual knowledge that a Florida child was under 18. It also seeks disgorgement of money Discord received from Florida consumers, with restitution to be used for consumers by the attorney general, the costs of abating the alleged public nuisance, damages on the negligence and misrepresentation claims, and attorney’s fees.This is a state enforcement action, not a class action. Any restitution would come only from a judgment or settlement, and there is no fund or claim form.
How Has Discord Responded?
Discord disputes the suit. A spokesperson told Courthouse News that “the lawsuit’s characterization of Discord does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety,” and said the company recently introduced a platform-wide age-appropriate experience and has “consistently engaged and collaborated with law enforcement in Florida.”Other States’ Lawsuits Against Discord
• New Jersey — filed April 17, 2025• Nevada — announced May 5, 2026, in Clark County District Court
• Texas — filed May 22, 2026, in Collin County district court
• Florida — filed October 15, 2026, in Glades County Circuit Court
Discord has disputed the allegations in the earlier suits as well. Separately, families have filed private lawsuits against Roblox and Discord over child exploitation; OCA covers that litigation on its Roblox and Discord lawsuits page.
Questions
Why did Florida sue Discord?
Florida’s attorney general alleges Discord marketed itself to families as safe for children while failing to verify users’ ages, not applying heightened safety settings to minors’ accounts by default until September 22, 2026, and leaving children open to contact from predators. These are allegations; Discord disputes them and no court has ruled.
What penalties does Florida seek from Discord?
The complaint seeks up to $10,000 per willful violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, up to $50,000 per violation of the state’s children’s online law, and up to $150,000 per violation where Discord knew a Florida user was under 18, plus an injunction, disgorgement, abatement costs and damages.
Can Florida families get money from the Discord lawsuit?
Not now. The case is a state enforcement action, not a class action, and there is no settlement, fund or claim form. The complaint asks for restitution to be used for consumers, which would come only from a judgment or settlement.
Which states have sued Discord?
New Jersey sued Discord in April 2025, Nevada and Texas sued in May 2026, and Florida sued on October 15, 2026. Discord has disputed the allegations.
Sources
• Florida Attorney General news release (October 15, 2026)• Complaint, Office of the Attorney General, State of Florida, Department of Legal Affairs v. Discord Inc. (Fla. 20th Cir. Ct., Glades Cnty., filed October 15, 2026)
• Courthouse News Service (October 15, 2026), including Discord’s statement
• WLRN/WGCU (October 15, 2026) and News4JAX (October 16, 2026)
• WUSF (March 19, 2026) on the Florida investigation
• Other states: CNBC (New Jersey), Nevada Attorney General and Texas Tribune (Texas)
