Judge dismisses lawsuit against Netflix brought by parent of a teenager who died by suicide after watching '13 Reasons Why'
A judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging the show Netflix "13 Reasons Why" contributed to a suicide.
"13 Reasons Why," which ran for four seasons, depicted the story of a teen who dies by suicide.
The show was accused of glorifying suicide, and Netflix removed a graphic suicide scene in 2019.
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit against Netflix brought by a father who said the TV show "13 Reasons Why" was to blame for his 15-year-old daughter's death by suicide in April 2017.
In the suit, John Herndon of Livermore, California, said his daughter Bella "died as a result of the tortious acts and omissions of Netflix that caused, or at least substantially contributed to, her suicide."
The lawsuit, filed in August, alleged that Netflix, which developed and distributed "13 Reasons Why," failed to adequately warn viewers about its content and that its algorithms were designed to "target vulnerable children and manipulate them into watching content that was deeply harmful to them."
Herndon filed the lawsuit as a class action, alleging that his daughter and "those similarly situated to her were tortiously harmed." The suit said that "children viewers targeted by Netflix and their adult parents/guardians were not informed that watching the show could cause or contribute to suicide or suicidal ideations."
In a response filed in December, Netflix sought to dismiss the lawsuit. The streaming giant said in court filings that restrictions on programming would lead to self-censorship.
"This is a tragic case," US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said on Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "But ultimately, I don't think that it survives."
She said she based her ruling on free-speech protections, the report said.
The teen drama, which ran for four seasons, from 2017 to 2020, centered on the suicide of Hannah Baker and its impact on her friends and family.
Critics accused "13 Reasons Why" of glorifying suicide. A 2019 study found that teen suicides increased in the months after the show premiered.
The show's first season ended with a graphic three-minute scene depicting Hannah's suicide. Netflix removed the scene in 2019.
"On the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we've decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the producers of '13 Reasons Why' to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from Season 1," Netflix said in a tweet.
Netflix declined to Insider.
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