Snapchat settles lawsuit over speed filter's alleged role in Georgia crash

Snapchat and the family of a Georgia driver have settled a civil lawsuit days before a jury trial was set to begin. The case stems from a 2015 crash in Spalding County involving Christal McGee, who rear-ended a car driven by Wentworth Maynard, who spent weeks in a coma. The Maynard family sued Snapchat, alleging the app’s speed filter encouraged McGee to drive faster. Passenger Heather McCarty told Channel 2 Action News in 2016 that McGee held a phone with Snapchat open and the filter active before the crash, saying McGee was trying to hit 100 mph. Snapchat denied encouraging dangerous driving and said there was no evidence the phone was being used at the moment of impact. The speed filter was discontinued in 2021, and a judge previously ruled a jury would decide key issues. Court documents did not disclose settlement terms, and the company said settlements don’t mean it admits fault.