MySpace Suit Dismissed

AUSTIN, February 15: A judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed
against MySpace by the family of a teenage girl who says she was sexually
assaulted by a 19-year-old man she met on the site, according to reports.

Last month, four families filed suit against News
Corporation and MySpace alleging that their underage daughters were solicited
online and sexually abused by adult users of the popular social networking
site. Arnold & Itkin LLP and Barry & Loewy LLP are representing the
families from New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The families
alleged “negligence, recklessness, fraud and negligent misrepresentation” by
News Corp. and MySpace.

According to an AP report, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks
said MySpace is protected under the Communications Decency Act and that it
cannot be expected to verify the age of every user. That "would of course
stop MySpace's business in its tracks."

Attorney Jason Itkin said that the family would appeal:
"This is allowing sites like MySpace to avoid the responsibility to make
the Internet safe for children. MySpace knows its website is a playground for
sexual predators. Because of that, MySpace should be doing some very basic
safety precautions."