BOSTON — The law firm suing BackPage.com has petitioned the Supreme Court to review its federal lawsuit, which accuse the company of supporting child sex trafficking.
Ropes & Gray has asked the Supreme Court to limit the Communications Decency Act, which led to the dismissal of their lawsuit in U.S. District Court in 2014.
Ropes & Gray said they are representing three child sex trafficking victims against Backpage.com. The suit claims the website transmits online ads for illegal commercial sex, including online child sex advertising. The three young women were victims of sex trafficking between 2010 and 2014, at the ages of 15 and 17, and sold for sex more than 1,000 times in Greater Boston and Rhode Island.
The Communications Decency Act protects freedom of expression and innovation on the internet, and allows the internet to be a lot more free.
Ropes & Gray says that this act was not designed to protect criminals. The firm hopes the Supreme Court to change interpretation of the law.
"We're not suing over the ads that were placed on Backpage, we suing on the conduct of Backpage itself in encouraging, assisting, promoting and supporting the trafficking of children that occurs on their website," he said.
Montgomery says law enforcement studies show that more than 80-percent of all illegal sexual activity stemming from the internet happens through Backpage.com, many of which involves children.
FOX25 has reached out o Backpage.com for comment.
Cox Media Group
