Roblox and Discord Face Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Teen’s Suicide

Becca Dallas filed a wrongful death suit against Roblox and Discord after her son, Ethan Dallas, died by suicide. The complaint alleges Ethan was groomed and manipulated by a player known as “Nate,” who is reported to be 37-year-old Timothy O’Connor. According to reporting, the alleged groomer helped Ethan disable parental controls on Roblox and moved communications to Discord, where inappropriate messages were exchanged.

Key points

• The lawsuit claims platform failures contributed to Ethan’s death and seeks to hold Roblox and Discord accountable for inadequate child-safety protections.
• The case may test legal protections enjoyed by online platforms, including arguments related to Section 230.
• Separate state-level actions are underway: Louisiana’s attorney general has filed a suit alleging Roblox fails to implement basic safety controls for underage users; Florida has also launched an investigation into similar concerns.

Timeline & allegations

According to reporting, Ethan told his mother about the incidents and interactions with “Nate” before he died by suicide four months later. The suit recounts that the alleged groomer moved communications from Roblox to Discord and sent harmful messages. Timothy O’Connor has been identified in some reports as the likely individual behind the “Nate” account; O’Connor has been previously arrested on charges related to child exploitation.

Responses from platforms and authorities

Roblox has said child-safety issues are an industry-wide problem, and the company has been updating safety features and cooperating with law enforcement. State attorneys general, including Louisiana’s, have taken legal action alleging the platform exposes children to harmful content and actors; Florida authorities have also sought answers.

Why this matters

The suit could set precedent on how much responsibility platforms have to protect minors and how they are held accountable for off-platform communications that began in their services. It could influence future safety policies, enforcement, and legal standards for online community moderation.

Sources & further reading

• Screen Rant — summary of the lawsuit and reporting
• Law360 — legal coverage of the wrongful-death suit
• AOL / Associated Press coverage — Louisiana attorney general’s lawsuit

If you want any edits, specific angle, or to add more authoritative sources (NYT or original filings), tell me and I can update the post.