Kick sued after streamer dies live online after 'ten days of torture'
Warning: This article contains allegations of violence which some readers may find distressing.
Legal action appears to be ramping up amid the controversy surrounding French streamer Raphaël "Jean Pormanove" Graven's death, as French authorities have begun to move against streaming platform Kick.
Raphaël Graven was one of the most popular streamers on Kick before his passing, having earned over 1,000,000 followers and registered as the fourth most watched channel globally.
While he got his start in gaming like most live streaming creators, he recently became involved in controversial 'humiliation' streams orchestrated by fellow streamers Owen "Naruto" Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi, both of whom had been part of an ongoing investigation led by the Nice Public Prosecutor's Office.
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In the days prior to Graven's tragic death he was involved in what many have called 'ten days of torture', where he was seemingly trapped in Cenazandotti's home as part of an elaborate stream and subjected to extreme violence, sleep deprivation, and toxic products.
This eventually culminated in Graven dying live on air during his sleep, and it has left both the streamers involved and Kick in potentially serious legal trouble as the situation continues to unfold.
French government minister Clara Chappaz called the circumstances that led to his death an 'absolute horror', although the official autopsy has suggested that there is no direct connection between the events that occurred during the stream and his death, pointing towards pre-existing 'medical and/or toxicological' issues.
That hasn't stopped legal action from taking place, as the Australian eSafety Commissioner has already threatened Kick with fines reaching upwards of $32 million, and French officials have now also joined the field.
As reported by Dexerto, the case led by Chappaz aims to punish Kick for failing to stop a broadcast that contained dangerous content, as she has declared that it is 'her fight' that she will 'not give up' on.
Prosecutors have also examined the viability of a case that alleges a breach of the EU's Digital Services Act, which as per the Guardian could carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison and €1,000,000 ($1,168,634) in penalty fines.
Kick has claimed that it is cooperating fully with the French investigation, and it is unclear whether France will issue an extradition request to the Australian government for the live streaming service's executives.
Additionally, both Cenazandotti and Hamadi have been banned by Kick pending the ongoing investigation, which the company revealed in a new statement, and Kick has also offered its condolences to Graven's family, friends, and community.
These legal threats could dramatically reshape not only Kick's status in the streaming world, but the concept of live streaming altogether.