Facebook received a great deal of criticism following a shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month that stemmed from a clash between right-wing militia groups and social justice protestors. The social media giant allowed militia groups to post actively on the platform, drawing attention and potentially adding fuel to an already explosive situation. Now, Facebook has been named in a federal lawsuit this week for allegedly enabling violence to take place.

“Facebook’s negligence enabled the conspiracy here,” attorney Jason Flores-Williams said. “This is not a First Amendment issue. It’s a matter of responsibility on the part of Facebook… If Facebook won’t change their m.o., then a judge needs to tell them to enforce their own standards and stop allowing violent groups to use their site as a recruiting station.”

According to reports, over 450 people reported the militia group’s Facebook page prior to violence breaking out, yet the company’s moderators took no action. Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg later admitted this was an “operational mistake,” seemingly admitting at least some fault in the case. So even if this suit goes nowhere and Facebook isn’t required to take accountability, it’s clear the platform has a lot of work to do to prove it can effectively moderate its own content.

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