MySpace assault case thrown out

A FEDERAL court has chucked out a negligence lawsuit against MySpace filed by the family of a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by someone she met on the site.

According to Associated Press, Judge Sam Sparks of the US District Court for the Western district of Texas granted MySpace's motion to dismiss the charges of negligence, fraud and negligent misrepresentation.

The case was bought by the family of the Austin, Texas girl, who was attacked by a 19-year-old man she met on MySpace.

Judge Sparks said that MySpace was protected from materials posted on its site by the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996. This law said that website operators and other interactive computer services are protected from lawsuits arising out of third party communications.

He pointed out that the girl lied about her age when she registered her MySpace account. She posed as an 18-year-old when she was only 13, and registered for an account when the outfit's minimum age requirement is 14.

The family plans to appeal.

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