MySpace sex assault case
p2pnet news | Crime:- The family of a teenage girl who says she was sexually assaulted by a man she met on MySpace wants their lawsuit against the site to be re-started
“A federal judge in Austin, Texas, dismissed the $30 million suit in February 2007, rejecting the family’s claim that MySpace has a legal duty to protect its young users from sexual predators,” says Associated Press, going on:
“U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks also ruled that interactive computer services like MySpace are immune from such lawsuits under the Communications Decency Act of 1996.”
The girl’s family now wants Sparks’ rulings overturned. Their lawyer, Gregory Coleman, said the law only gives MySpace a “limited shield” from liability”.
However, Harry Reasoner, for MySpace and News Corp, claims Congress enacted the 1996 law to promote the growth of the Net and protect online companies from tort litigation, says AP. “That doesn’t leave it unregulated,” Reasoner stated, says the story. “Any of these Web sites can be prosecuted for criminal conduct.”
The girl was only 13 when she created a MySpace profile in 2005,saying she was 18, and, “She was 14 when Pete Solis, then 19, contacted her through MySpace and corresponded for several weeks before he allegedly sexually assaulted her during a meeting in a Travis County, Texas, parking lot in May 2006,” says AP, adding:
“The girl’s family sued MySpace and its parent company, News Corp., alleging fraud and negligence. They claim MySpace markets itself to children but has failed to implement basic safety measures, such as age verification or privacy settings.”
But MySpace, “has denied any wrongdoing,” says AP.
Travis is awaiting trial.
Associated Press – Family Pursues MySpace Sex Assault Suit, March 31, 2008
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April 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 am
Let me see if I understand this correctly; The girl intentionally mis-represented her age, lead some guy on for several weeks, then agreed to meet him in a parking lot, but it’s all MySpace’s fault? While the guy should certainly be punished if he actually did assault her, her parents deserve to be fined for raising such an irresponsible and dim-witted daughter.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:36 am
Its all Myspace’s fault why didnt the use the Mindreading featur on their website to prevent children from making accounts. They shud’v also used the Baseball bat to beat the crap out of retarded parents.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:59 pm
That is ludricrous. It’s not the computer’s job to moniter chidren’s behavior. Where were her parents when the child was doing all this? Pretty outrageous stuff. But if you like true crime stories you should check the new documentary series “I Survived” on the Biography Channel on Mondays at 9pm ET. I previewed some episodes(I work for Bio) and saw one where a woman lives through kidnapping, rape and getting shot! Not only do you learn survival tactics but you get to see them triumph at the end! If you want to find out more about the show you can at http://www.biography.com/isurvived/ . Anyone here think they’ll tune in?