SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Attorneys for the multi-billion dollar app Snapchat were in court in Georgia Wednesday in an effort to avoid an expensive legal battle after a serious crash.
The case is centered around whether teenage driver, Christal McGee, was using Snapchat's speed filter while going nearly 100 miles an hour.
"The data shows she wasn't even on Snapchat at the time," said attorney Lori Cohen, part of Snapchat's legal team.
Snapchat is arguing it should not even be involved in the Spalding County civil case since its internal data proves McGee was not using the app at the time of the crash last September.
McGee was driving her Mercedes, and allegedly nearing 100 miles an hour along Tara Boulevard.
Two passengers from McGee's car told Channel 2 Action News the teen was trying to use Snapchat's speed filter at the time.
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"We're talking about a product that is designed and encourages reckless driving," said attorney Naveen Ramachandrappa who represents the family of Wentworth Maynard.
Maynard was driving the car McGee hit.
He is now living with permanent injuries and requires full-time care as a result of the crash.
McGee did snap a photo after the crash, saying she was 'lucky to be alive.'
The photo shows her injured and in a medical head brace.
"We know from the data the last session on Snapchat was at 9:47," said Cohen, who pointed out that the crash was around 10:15 p.m., and McGee's next Snapchat session registered about an hour later.
The little white ghost on the striking yellow background has gained widespread popularity, with more than 100 million people using it each day.
Pictures and videos users "snap" disappear after a few seconds, but Snapchat now admits it knows when users are in the app, and stores that data, even if the user is not actively "snapping" at the time.
Despite several deadly crashes purportedly linked to the app's use, this is the first case of its kind.
The company points to its speed filter warning which reminds users not to snap and drive, and Snapchat attorneys say the app is no more dangerous than a car's own instruments.
"It's like a speedometer is there and it gives speeds above the speed limit," compared Cohen, "Is that telling people to violate the law and encouraging it? Absolutely not."
Snapchat's attorneys made several additional arguments, including that the State Court of Spalding County does not have jurisdiction for the case against the California company.
The judge has said he expects to have a ruling on Snapchat's motion to dismiss the case within the next month.
Cox Media Group
