CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A jury could soon decide whether Snapchat’s former speed filter contributed to a high-speed crash that left a Clayton County man with a severe traumatic brain injury more than a decade ago.
A Spalding County judge ruled that disputed facts in the lawsuit must be resolved by a jury, including whether the filter influenced Christal McGee’s driving and whether the company could have foreseen the danger it posed.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 2.
McGee rear-ended a car driven by Wentworth Maynard, who spent weeks in a coma. The lawsuit alleges Snapchat’s speed filter encouraged McGee to speed.
Heather McCarty, a passenger in McGee’s car, told Channel 2 Action News in 2016 that McGee was holding her phone with Snapchat open and the speed filter in use before the crash.
“I asked her if that kept up with the speed of the car,” McCarty said. “She said yeah, she was trying to hit 100 mph and post it on Snapchat.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- Trapped in the elevator with inmates: An inside look at Fulton County Jail’s issues
- Popular squishy toy recalled over choking and intestinal blockage risks
- Wellstar Health System reaches deal to acquire north Georgia hospital
Snapchat disputes that its feature encouraged dangerous driving and argues there is no evidence McGee was using her phone at the moment of the crash.
“Any suggestion that Snapchat encouraged unsafe driving is simply wrong,” the company said in a statement.
The judge’s ruling does not establish that Snapchat was responsible. Jurors will need to weigh who was at fault, whether the speed filter influenced McGee’s driving and whether the company could have anticipated the danger.
Another disputed issue is whether Maynard could have avoided the crash by not changing lanes outside an apartment complex.
Michael Neff, an attorney for Maynard, said the ruling brings the family closer to presenting its case nearly 11 years after the crash.
“We’ll get to present the theories and claims that we believed in from the early days,” Neff said.
Tom Galvin, executive director of the Digital Citizens Alliance, said big tech companies often settle cases outside court before a case ever reaches a jury.
“I think we’re in for a rare moment where American citizens sitting on a jury get to decide whether a tech company is responsible for Americans getting hurt,” Galvin said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Snapchat discontinued the speed filter in 2021 after a series of lawsuits. The company maintains it removed the feature because few people were using it.
Snapchat sent the following statement:
“We have deep sympathy for Mr. Maynard and his family and what they have experienced. At the same time, Snap strongly disputes the plaintiffs’ allegations. The evidence does not establish that Snapchat or the Speed Filter caused this collision. Importantly, the driver was not using Snapchat at or around the time of the collision, and any suggestion that Snapchat encouraged unsafe driving is simply wrong. We will continue to vigorously defend against claims that are unsupported by the evidence.”
©2026 Cox Media Group
