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.

[darin]

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


But THIS Corporation has ALWAYS taken 'reasonable' precautions - from Day one. Even if the precautions was "Don't lie about your age" it was reasonable. It was more than that...but that's still reasonable.

[CockySOB]

The problem with this is that the parents obviously failed to teach their kids responsibility. Not surprisingly, the parents are now shirking their accountability by trying to shift blame (and responsibility) onto MySpace.

Bak when I was a kid, my parents hammered into me that I shouldn't talk to stranger and I most certainly shouldn't get in a car or meet strangers without specific parental approval. It's all about failure of parenting and an abdication of parental responsibilities and accountability.

Freaking unbelievable.

[jillian]

But THIS Corporation has ALWAYS taken 'reasonable' precautions - from Day one. Even if the precautions was "Don't lie about your age" it was reasonable. It was more than that...but that's still reasonable.

Your basis for the claim that it was "more than that"? Or is it that we should trust the benevolent corporations to watch out for us?

[jillian]

The problem with this is that the parents obviously failed to teach their kids responsibility. Not surprisingly, the parents are now shirking their accountability by trying to shift blame (and responsibility) onto MySpace.

Bak when I was a kid, my parents hammered into me that I shouldn't talk to stranger and I most certainly shouldn't get in a car or meet strangers without specific parental approval. It's all about failure of parenting and an abdication of parental responsibilities and accountability.

Freaking unbelievable.

Part of me agrees with you, actually. Because it *is* stupid for a kid to meet someone they don't know... particularly by themselves. And part of me thinks the parents should have been more involved in what their kid was doing. I'm also not certain what steps could have been taken to protect the kids. But here's the thing.... if there are greater (reasonable) precautions which myspace can take... they should. Sometimes adolescents need to be protected from their own stupidity.... raging hormones cloud the brain.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving the parents... or the kids... of responsibility, I'm simply saying if myspace is going to profit from creating a kid-enticing environment... and they do.... then they should make it as safe as reasonably possible for them.

[darin]

Your basis for the claim that it was "more than that"? Or is it that we should trust the benevolent corporations to watch out for us?

We should trust benevolent corporations to watch out for us - by asking us our age, and giving guidelines for membership to a specific service. Beyond that, the responsibility for what kids do rests ultimately upon themselves or their parents. Of course, Parents wouldn't sue themselves or their kids, because the parents in question are greedy bastards.

[jillian]

We should trust benevolent corporations to watch out for us - by asking us our age, and giving guidelines for membership to a specific service. Beyond that, the responsibility for what kids do rests ultimately upon themselves or their parents. Of course, Parents wouldn't sue themselves or their kids, because the parents in question are greedy bastards.

okie dokie... so the corporation has no responsibility. roger... and those damn slutty, heathens deserve what they got, eh?

[darin]

okie dokie... so the corporation has no responsibility. roger... and those damn slutty, heathens deserve what they got, eh?

In this instance, the corporation took very reasonable measures. They cannot be liable for the conduct of the Criminals involved. Since the LEFT like to point fingers more than solve problems, sure - blame the kids who worked themselves into a frenzy enough to meet with bad people. Blame the Parents for not being involved-enough in the lives of their kids. Blame - blame -Blame. Wait - it's not Blame...We need a new word. Blame can't be spelled with a dollar sign.

[CockySOB]

Part of me agrees with you, actually. Because it *is* stupid for a kid to meet someone they don't know... particularly by themselves. And part of me thinks the parents should have been more involved in what their kid was doing. I'm also not certain what steps could have been taken to protect the kids. But here's the thing.... if there are greater (reasonable) precautions which myspace can take... they should. Sometimes adolescents need to be protected from their own stupidity.... raging hormones cloud the brain.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving the parents... or the kids... of responsibility, I'm simply saying if myspace is going to profit from creating a kid-enticing environment... and they do.... then they should make it as safe as reasonably possible for them.

It's good that you agree with me that parents should be playing a much more prominent role in their children's upbringing, rather than shirking their responsibilities.

I notice you say "if there are greater (reasonable) precautions which myspace can take." Since you've given this some thought, what suggestions would you make as to precautions sites like MySpace could take?

[Gaffer]

In this instance, the corporation took very reasonable measures. They cannot be liable for the conduct of the Criminals involved. Since the LEFT like to point fingers more than solve problems, sure - blame the kids who worked themselves into a frenzy enough to meet with bad people. Blame the Parents for not being involved-enough in the lives of their kids. Blame - blame -Blame. Wait - it's not Blame...We need a new word. Blame can't be spelled with a dollar sign.

You just make sure to place multiple BLAME$.

[darin]

It's good that you agree with me that parents should be playing a much more prominent role in their children's upbringing, rather than shirking their responsibilities.

I notice you say "if there are greater (reasonable) precautions which myspace can take." Since you've given this some thought, what suggestions would you make as to precautions sites like MySpace could take?

The beauty of hindsight. TheLeft loves to come up with GREAT ideas after the fact. Because TheLeft has very few original, good ideas, they blame others for not having thought of anything either. Why didn't the parents complain about MySpace's precautions BEFORE the attacks on their out-of-control kids? Easy - there's no MONEY in it.

[avatar4321]

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.

We've already covered this, you arent paying attention. There is absolutely nothing myspace can do to avoid this. The kids often lie and say they are in their twenties. Likewise predators can lie and saiy they are teenagers. There is no way internet sites can verify anything they say.

[avatar4321]

Your basis for the claim that it was "more than that"? Or is it that we should trust the benevolent corporations to watch out for us?

You really don't understand conservatism. One of the central precepts is self reliance.

When you expect others to look out for you rather than doing it yourself, you are always going to be disappointed. This is exactly why its the parents responsibilities to be aware of what their child is doing and who their child is talking to. Because you cant and shouldnt expect others to. Especially in cases where they have no power to.

[avatar4321]

It's good that you agree with me that parents should be playing a much more prominent role in their children's upbringing, rather than shirking their responsibilities.

I notice you say "if there are greater (reasonable) precautions which myspace can take." Since you've given this some thought, what suggestions would you make as to precautions sites like MySpace could take?

I agree. what precautions is myspace supposed to take? How are they supposed to know when people lie about their age?

[darin]

Last night my 5-year-old broke into a liquor store. He'd TOLD me he was going to a friend's house. Breaking glass cut his leg. While in the store he drank himself into a stupor. I'm pretty excited, because now I can sue the liquor store and the State of Washington. They should have taken MORE precautions to keep my 5 year old from slipping between the steel gate which covers the store front. They also should have taken precautions to prevent him from throwing a rock through the glass door to gain access. Further, they should have KNOWN broken glass can be sharp and taken appropriate precautions against the shards cutting him. Jim Beam should KNOW their product can hurt a child, and should have removed all alcohol content. I mean, honestly, it's THEIR fault for making such a tasty product. I'm "sad" about my son, but thrilled that through MY neglect and his undisciplined lifestyle, I stand to make MILLIONS.

[CockySOB]

C'mon you guys! I was wanting Jilllian to outline her ideas so I could methodically shoot them down. Now you've gone and made fun of her (and librulls in general) and she won't respond.