A yearslong case involving the mother of a popular YouTube star and 11 teen content creators who accused her of abuse and exploitation came to an end Tuesday after the parties reached a $1.85 million settlement, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs.
Tiffany Smith was sued in January 2022 by the group of teenagers who were regularly featured on her daughter Piper Rockelle’s popular YouTube channel, which at the time had 8.85 million followers.
The creators alleged that Smith, 43, intentionally inflicted emotional distress while she held a position of “care and control” over them in the production of content for Rockelle’s YouTube channel. They said they endured physical and emotional injuries from “harassment, molestation, and abuse,” according to the complaint.
Some of the plaintiffs also said they weren’t compensated for the use of their likenesses to promote Rockelle’s content, and all of them alleged they weren’t paid for their work and appearances, though they say they weren’t promised payment.
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In a statement announcing the settlement, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Matt Sarelson, of the Dhillon Law Group, commended them for their bravery and described what they went through as “grotesque.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published in December 2022, Smith said she didn’t consider herself the plaintiffs’ employer at the time the videos were recorded with Rockelle. Smith later acquired a permit to work with minors, she told the newspaper. Smith countersued last year for $30 million, accusing the plaintiffs’ mothers of conspiring to extort money by making false sexual abuse allegations. She voluntarily abandoned the lawsuit before the mothers responded.
The plaintiffs, who are all still minors, had originally requested roughly $2 million in damages apiece, totaling at least $22 million, from Smith and her boyfriend, Hunter Hill, who is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit and is part of the settlement, according to the Dhillon Law Group. The complaint identified him as the director and editor of Rockelle’s YouTube channel.
A spokesperson for the plaintiffs’ law firm said Smith denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement terms. An attorney for Smith and Hill declined to comment.
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In the December 2022 interview with the Times, Hill denied claims of abuse in the lawsuit and told it he didn’t understand why the plaintiffs were so upset because “these kids were making more money than my mom makes in an entire year.”
Smith also said that once the channels were monetized, the creators were earning “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The 11 young creators were on Rockelle’s channel as part of a cast known as the “Piper Squad.” In videos on Rockelle’s channel, which now has 12 million subscribers, the creators participated in various pranks and challenges. Despite their ages, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit, they were asked to stage romantic “crushes” on one another for content purposes.
The young creators’ claims helped shed light on the lucrative and largely unregulated world of child YouTube stardom, which some have likened to the Wild West.
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Many have publicly called on the industry to put regulations in place to help protect child content creators. The Fair Labor Standards Act, a 1938 law addressing “excessive child labor,” has not been updated to include child influencers. The popular YouTube family channel genre — which has been considered a lucrative business because of ad revenue and brand collaboration opportunities — has been widely criticized in recent years for relying on children to create monetized content.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom — joined by singer Demi Lovato, a former child star — signed two bills this month to protect the earnings of child influencers and content creators. A handful of other states, including Illinois, which was the first, have also introduced legislation in hope of protecting child content creators.
Angela Sharbino, a parent of one of the plaintiffs, said that they “didn’t pursue this lawsuit to change the industry, but to bring awareness that predators can be found in any field.”
“This was never about the money — it was about holding an individual accountable, telling the truth, and taking a step toward healing,” she said in a statement. “All of these kids have now moved on from the ‘Squad’ and are closing this chapter of their lives.”
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Lawyers representing children who developed long-term pain and injury after operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital have criticised a heavily redacted report carried out for the trust.
Some of the cases which so far have been investigated were found to have resulted in harm, lifelong injury and even amputation.
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) commissioned a report by the Royal College of Surgeons which was handed in a year ago. But it has only been released this week to some of the families.
The report – seen by the BBC – said there were serious concerns in relation to working culture, with some staff upset about the standard of care and saying the environment was “toxic” and that some surgery done on children was “inappropriate” and “incorrect”.
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Georgina Wade, from Tees Law, said families were hoping that GOSH would be “open, transparent, and candid”.
“The report is sadly heavily redacted and does not go far enough to providing the answers the families need to understand what has happened to their children.”
She called for the unredacted report to be published.
Dean, whose daughter Bunty was operated on multiple times by Mr Jabbar at Great Ormond Street until her lower leg was eventually amputated, says: “I’ve been begging and fighting for information from GOSH for three and a half years.
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“The redacted report is just another disappointment and example of the secrecy that envelopes this situation.”
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Dean’s daughter, Bunty, was operated on by Mr Jabbar multiple times. After the surgery failed her lower limb was eventually amputated.
Sammy, the mother of another child who was operated on by Mr Jabbar, said she was angry: “I feel frustrated that we have not been provided with the full report – George deserves answers, and it feels like we are being kept in the dark, and information is being withheld from the families.
“I also was shocked to read of some of the behaviours that were documented in the report; had I known this was going on in the background I would never have allowed George to be treated there.”
‘Verbal aggression’
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The report highlights a number of issues in the complex lower-limb reconstruction unit at GOSH, including “a lack of a cohesive, united and functional team and department” compounded “by a lack of direction and effective management and leadership”.
Staff in operating theatres did not always feel confident to raise questions or issues over important elements of patient care with surgeons.
The GOSH Trust “had not been delivering a safe service for patients”, the review team added.
A spokesperson for GOSH says the hospital is “deeply sorry to all the families impacted by the review into our Paediatric Orthopaedic service”, adding: “We remain completely committed to addressing all the concerns raised in the review and will invite the [Royal College of Surgeons] back to review our progress next year.”
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The BBC approached the Royal College of Surgeons for comment.
St John and St Elizabeth Hospital said there had been three adult inpatient procedures there between October 2020 and January 2023, when Mr Jabbar had had practising privileges there, but no concerns had been raised about his practice.
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“Alongside several other providers, we are working closely with Great Ormond Street Hospital to assist them in their review,” the hospital said.
Cromwell Hospital said Mr Jabbar had operated on 12 adults and six children, during the short time he worked there.
“We received no complaints about Mr Jabbar’s treatment,” it said.
“Since the concerns around Mr Jabbar came to light, we have proactively contacted all patients directly and are continuing to stay in close contact while this investigation proceeds.”
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The hospital was committed to the highest standards of care, it added.
He also worked at the Portland hospital and at an NHS trust, the Chelsea and Westminster.
While you are statistically more likely to be flooded than burgled, public awareness of the risks posed by surface water flooding, and what we need to do to mitigate it, remains alarmingly low. That is why I was particularly grateful to see Francesca Perry’s article on “sponge tactics” featured on the front page of House & Home (September 21).
As Perry notes, comprehensive flood resilience strategies are rarely co-ordinated across entire cities. This is especially evident in London, where responsibility for managing surface water flood risks is fragmented across more than 30 different organisations.
The London Surface Water Strategic Group has estimated that London requires the equivalent of 10,000 football pitches-worth of spongy Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) like those mentioned in the article to begin mitigating this threat. However, delivering such a large-scale solution will only be possible through co-ordinated, strategic action by all relevant authorities.
Elizabeth Rapoport Chair, London Surface Water Strategic Group, London E17, UK
Cameras in Fort Myers, Tampa and Sarasota have captured Hurricane Milton making landfall.
Milton is carrying winds of 120mph (205km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center, and is moving north-east at about 15mph as it crosses over Florida and heads out to the Atlantic over the coming hours.
To characterise Israel’s current activities in Lebanon as lacking strategy is premature, and probably inaccurate (FT View, October 1). On the contrary, it is arguably the first instance of a protagonist in the current conflict demonstrating strategic coherence.
Similarly inaccurate is the description of the conflict as a “cycle”. Terms such as “cycle of violence” have had some relevance for Israeli-Palestinian clashes over recent decades, but the current conflict is primarily one between major states, namely Israel and Iran (the latter having quasi-state allies or proxies).
Such actors do not engage in cyclical violence and fated escalation; their behaviour is considered, and influenced by perception of essential national interests. It is possible that the latter will cause Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear energy facilities in due course. If that were to happen, it would be a result of sufficient strategy, not a lack thereof; and it would follow a logical path — the same path that determines its current action against Hizbollah.
Centara Hotels & Resorts, one of Thailand’s leading hotel operators, will be opening the Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives on 1 November 2024. The underwater world-themed resort is the third Centara property to open in the Maldives – and the fourth in the group’s porfolio under the renowned family-focused Mirage brand
HURRICANE Milton has made landfall in Florida – with locals braced for devastating storm surges of up to 15 feet.
The catastrophic storm brought winds of 120mph with officials warning the danger is not over.
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Hurricane Milton before hitting Florida
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A satellite view of Hurricane Milton across the Gulf of MexicoCredit: Alamy
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A tornado ripped the roof from a house
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Broken utility poles downed by strong winds
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A tornado forming in southeast Florida hours before Hurricane Milton’s landfallCredit: National Weather Service Miami-South Florida
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Police block off a bridge leading to the barrier island of St. Pete Beach, FloridaCredit: AP:Associated Press
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‘Pray for Orlando’ is written on some wood used to board up the windows at a Home DepotCredit: Reuters
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Members of the Florida Army National Guard check for any remaining residents in nearly-deserted Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island, FloridaCredit: AP:Associated Press
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The Florida Division of Emergency Management said: “Residents should continue to shelter in place & remain vigilant.”
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The first casualties were reported in the Spanish Lakes area of Fort Pierce after tornadoes battered the state before Milton made landfall.
Shortly before the hurricane made landfall, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged: “You have to shelter in place and just hunker down.”
He added: “Unfortunately there will be fatalities.
“I don’t think there’s any way around that.”
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Earlier, President Joe Biden called Milton “one of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida in over a century,” adding: “It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole.”
Pop star Taylor Swift pledged $5million to help with the relief effort after the hurricane has passed.
Dramatic footage showed entire palm trees ripped from their trunks, while in a clip by the NOAA, the storm caused massive 30ft waves.
In the days leading up to the storm’s arrival, millions across west-central Florida stocked up their vehicles with essential items and personal belongings, driving north or south away from Milton’s intimidating path.
Hurricane Milton ‘to spawn tornadoes’ as locals told ‘homes are coffins’
Eerie videos circulating on social media showed dozens of abandoned communities, many of which are still in ruins from the onslaught of Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
In Gulfport, police drove slowly through a debris-riddled neighborhood, playing a recording on the loudspeaker informing residents of a mandatory evacuation, according to a video by reporter Brian Entin on X.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for 13 counties in Florida, including Sarasota, Hillsborough, and Volusia.
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Aerial images showed Interstate 75’s northbound lane jam-packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic as hundreds of terrified residents fled their homes to seek shelter.
It comes as…
Dr. Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Centre, earlier warned that “a very dangerous situation is going to play out from west to east across the Florida peninsula.”
He added that a “life-threatening storm surge is about to play out along the Florida west coast.
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Water will also be “violently pushed onto dry land” by the hurricane, up to 10ft above ground level.
“The water is now starting to rise, winds are picking up, rainfall is occurring and your evacuation routes may be cut off.”
He continued: “Much of the central portion of the peninsula… is at risk of devastating hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts over the inland areas that can cause structural damage, tree damage and widespread power outages.”
‘SIGNIFICANT COASTAL CHANGE’
Scientists at the US Geological Survey fear that Milton could completely change Florida’s west coastline forever.
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“The significance of the coastal change forecast for Milton’s impact to the Florida west coast cannot be overstated as I believe communities are more vulnerable to this storm’s impacts due to the erosion that occurred recently from Helene,” Kara Doran, a USGS scientist, said.
“Our initial analysis looking at imagery collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after Helene shows most of the west coast experienced overwash or inundation and complete erosion of dunes, so those protective dunes are no longer in place for many locations.”
Experts predict Milton’s ferocious storm surge could cause 95% to 100% of Florida’s west coast beaches to experience erosion and overwash.
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Overwash occurs when water levels reach higher than the top of the dunes.
When a beach is overwashed, sand can be pushed and deposited inland, causing significant changes to coastal landscapes and blocking roadways, according to the USGS.
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A photo by astronaut Matthew Dominick shows Hurricane Milton from the International Space StationCredit: AP:Associated Press
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A heavy stream of evacuation traffic slowly moves southward from North-West Florida on Interstate 75Credit: EPA
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An AquaFence barrier set up outside Tampa General HospitalCredit: Reuters
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Rain begins to fall ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton in TampaCredit: AP:Associated Press
‘WHISKER SHY’ OF CATEGORY 5
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described Milton as “just a whisker shy” of Category 5.
“While there is the hope that it will weaken more before landfall, there is high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage,” DeSantis told reporters on Wednesday.
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Hours before Milton neared landfall, the storm spawned at least 10 tornados across southcentral Florida.
Florida is still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in late September, which has left over 220 people dead across the southeast United States.
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Cars drive during heavy rainfall as Hurricane Milton nears landfall in OrlandoCredit: Reuters
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Waves crashed against the Malecon promenade in HavanaCredit: AFP or licensors
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Guests weather early rainfall from Hurricane Milton at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on WednesdayCredit: AP:Associated Press
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What is a hurricane and how do they form?
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A HURRICANE is another name for a tropical cyclone – a powerful storm that forms over warm ocean waters near the equator.
Those arising in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific are called hurricanes, while those in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean are dubbed typhoons or cyclones.
North of the equator they spin anticlockwise because of the rotation of the Earth, however, they turn the opposite way in the southern hemisphere.
Cyclones are like giant weather engines fuelled by water vapor as it evaporates from the sea.
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Warm, moist air rises away from the surface, creating a low-pressure system that sucks in air from surrounding areas – which in turn is warmed by the ocean.
As the vapour rises it cools and condenses into swirling bands of cumulonimbus storm clouds.
The system grows and spins faster, sucking in more air and feeding off the energy in seawater that has been warmed by the sun.
At the center, a calm “eye” of the storm is created where cooled air sinks towards the ultra-low pressure zone below, surrounded by spiraling winds of warm air rising.
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The faster the wind, the lower the air pressure at the center, and the storm grows stronger and stronger.
Tropical cyclones usually weaken when they hit land as they are no longer fed by evaporation from the warm sea.
But they often move far inland – dumping vast amounts of rain and causing devastating wind damage – before the “fuel” runs out and the storm peters out.
Hurricanes can also cause storm surges when the low air pressure sucks the sea level higher than normal, swamping low-lying coasts.
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