Websites Not Responsible for Stupidity of its Users
SexSearch not responsible for underage hookup.
A US appeals court has once again ruled that websites aren't responsible for the stupidity of its users. And as a legal bonus, it has also verified that "your honor, her profile said she was 18" won't get a man off the hook.
As spotted by Eric Goldman, the case of John Doe v. SexSearch.com has rolled back into court, with pseudonymous plaintiff Doe faring no better than the first time he sued the matchmaking site.This John Doe was a paying "gold member" of the website SexSearch which he used to, well, search for sex.
The website encourages users to arrange sexual encounters with other SexSearch members, provided first they fill out a registration form which includes their date of birth.Doe met and eventually had consensual sex with female SexSearch member "Jane Roe," who claimed in her profile that she was born on June 15, 1987 – making her 18 at the time. (You can probably see where this is going).
Her profile also con tained Roe's authentic picture and a statement that her ideal match was a male "who could last for a long time."
But as it turned out, she was only 14. And the cops that swarmed around Doe's house a few months later weren't collecting for the annual policeman charity ball. Doe was eventually brought up on statutory rape charges, which could result in a 15-year prison term and lifetime classification as a sex offender.(1/01)
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