Parents Sue MySpace for "Millions of Dollars"

[-Cp]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Four families have sued News Corp. and its MySpace social-networking site after their underage daughters were sexually abused by adults they met on the site, lawyers for the families said Thursday.
The law firms, Barry & Loewy LLP of Austin, Texas, and Arnold & Itkin LLP of Houston, said families from New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina filed separate suits Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging negligence, recklessness, fraud and negligent misrepresentation by the companies.

"In our view, MySpace waited entirely too long to attempt to institute meaningful security measures that effectively increase the safety of their underage users," said Jason A. Itkin, an Arnold & Itkin lawyer.

The families are seeking monetary damages "in the millions of dollars," Itkin said.

"Hopefully these lawsuits can spur MySpace into action and prevent this from happening to another child somewhere," he said.

MySpace, based in Los Angeles, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Critics including parents, school officials and police have been increasingly warning of online predators at sites like MySpace, where youth-oriented visitors are encouraged to expand their circles of friends using free messaging tools and personal profile pages.

MySpace has responded with added educational efforts and partnerships with law enforcement. The company has also placed restrictions on how adults may contact younger users on MySpace, while developing technologies such as one announced Wednesday to let parents see some aspects of their child's online profile, including the stated age. That tool is expected this summer.

The lawyers who filed the latest lawsuits said the plaintiffs include a 15-year-old girl from Texas who was lured to a meeting, drugged and assaulted in 2006 by an adult MySpace user, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence in Texas after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

The others are a 15-year-old girl from Pennsylvania, a 14-year-old from upstate New York and two South Carolina sisters, ages 14 and 15.

Last June, the mother of a 14-year-old who says she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old user sued MySpace and News Corp., seeking $30 million in damages. That lawsuit, pending in a Texas state court, claims the 19-year-old lied about being a senior in high school to gain her trust and phone number.

News Corp. shares hit a new 52-week high of $24.07 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange before slipping back to $23.98, up 28 cents

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/18/D8MNR4HO1.html

[avatar4321]

When are parents going to start taking responsibility for their own actions? I mean Myspace can only do so much. They have private accounts for anyone under 18. If some guy lies and pretends he is a 17 year old there isnt much they can do to prevent it.

If anything, its the parents negligence that is responsible for this. I would have child services look into the parents neglect.

[Mr. P]

parents negligence

Is there such a thing these days?

[5stringJeff]

Is there such a thing these days?

Yeah.. all over the place.

[Mr. P]

Yeah.. all over the place.

I know, we just never hear about them. We sure hear about the idiot ones though.

[darin]

I'm wondering if this board should counter-sue those parents, on behalf of myspace, asking they lose custody of children they are 'supposed' to be responsbile for.

[avatar4321]

I'm wondering if this board should counter-sue those parents, on behalf of myspace, asking they lose custody of children they are 'supposed' to be responsbile for.

we have no standing.

[Insein]

Also add to it the fact that some girls LIE. I know thats hard to believe but children and especially girls do lie occasionally. Hell my fiance's niece is 12 years old. Guess what it says her age is on myspace? 19 years old. ITs all a game to kids. ITs up to the PARENTS to tell these kids that its not a game. That there are dangerous people out there if they arent careful.

[jillian]

You know, I'm all for keeping an open-eye when it comes to kids. I think we have to do what we can to know what they're doing and who their friends are.

But do you really think that you can watch what they're doing at all times? Or do you think places where they "go" should take reasonable precautions to protect them as well?

[Insein]

You know, I'm all for keeping an open-eye when it comes to kids. I think we have to do what we can to know what they're doing and who their friends are.

But do you really think that you can watch what they're doing at all times? Or do you think places where they "go" should take reasonable precautions to protect them as well?

Its called childblocker on the PC. Or you can simply get a parental program that tracks everything they type in. That way you can see if they are talking dirty to older men (or pretending to be younger) online. Thats easy enough even for the lazy parents. Just check it at your convienance. No need to hover over the kids.

Sure kids are going to get into things and are going to make wrong decisions but when the parents start suing for millions for their own idiocracy, then it becomes a problem for the whole community. Namely that the whole community has to pay for the idiot parents negligence. I think the places they go in the physical world have a reasonable responsibility to not purposely harm other people. In cyberspace, there is no physical threat to the children that a company could stop from occuring. Its up to the parents to see that their kid is doing something they shouldnt be doing.

[darin]

You know, I'm all for keeping an open-eye when it comes to kids. I think we have to do what we can to know what they're doing and who their friends are.

But do you really think that you can watch what they're doing at all times? Or do you think places where they "go" should take reasonable precautions to protect them as well?

I think it's more reasonable to hold the parents responsible than it is to hold myspace responsible.

[jillian]

I think it's more reasonable to hold the parents responsible than it is to hold myspace responsible.

That doesn't answer my question.

[darin]

That doesn't answer my question.

Your question is flawed. It's not about watching our kids "all" the time. It's about taking REASONABLE measures to ensure dumb-ass slutty kids keep away from sexual predators. It's about these money-grubbing parents profiting from their dee-dee-dee kids' actions. Suing MYSPACE when they should be blaming themselves and their kids. This is VERY much like if they were to sue FORD because the new MUSTANG they bought for Buffy "Crashed" and hurt her (nevermind the fact she was drunk, stoned, and having sex while driving).

MySpace has always taken 'reasonable' precautions to protec their users. Just as FORD has taken reasonable precautions to protect the drivers of their cars. Before 9-11, it was 'reasonable' to allow box-cutters on airplanes. Nobody is suing the airlines because the airlines didn't do enough to ensure crazy people wouldn't hijack planes. Suing MySpace is about ONE thing - Money...and love of same.

[jillian]

Oh... I get it. It's about letting the slutty girls get victimized. You guys do like doing that.

Corporations DON'T always take reasonable precautions. And in fact they don't take precautions at all unless there is the threat of lawsuits.

[jillian]

Its called childblocker on the PC. Or you can simply get a parental program that tracks everything they type in. That way you can see if they are talking dirty to older men (or pretending to be younger) online. Thats easy enough even for the lazy parents. Just check it at your convienance. No need to hover over the kids.

Sure kids are going to get into things and are going to make wrong decisions but when the parents start suing for millions for their own idiocracy, then it becomes a problem for the whole community. Namely that the whole community has to pay for the idiot parents negligence. I think the places they go in the physical world have a reasonable responsibility to not purposely harm other people. In cyberspace, there is no physical threat to the children that a company could stop from occuring. Its up to the parents to see that their kid is doing something they shouldnt be doing.

See... I agree parents should be attuned to what their kids are doing. I actually think that simply talking to kids about who THEY are talking to is a huge start. I don't think myspace should have to take extraordinary precautions, after all, they are just an access route. But they should also take any reasonable precautions they are able in order to protect kids.