Family Seeks Revival Of MySpace Suit Over Alleged Sex Assault

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The family of a teenage girl who says she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man she met on MySpace.com has asked a federal appeals court to revive their lawsuit against the social networking Web site.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in in Austin, Texas, dismissed the suit in February 2007, rejecting the family’s claim that MySpace has a legal duty to protect its young users from sexual predators.

Sparks also ruled that interactive computer services like MySpace are immune from such lawsuits under a 1996 law.

The girl’s family asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to overturn Sparks’ rulings. A three-judge panel heard arguments Monday from lawyers on both sides of the case, but didn’t immediately rule.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)