The website Backpage.com is being sued for enabling exploitation after three Washington teenagers claimed that the online escort service sold them online for sex.
The lawsuit was filed Friday by a 15-year-old girl from King County, and two 13-year-old from Pierce County, both in Washington, according to News Tribune of Tacoma.
Liz McDougall, the attorney representing Backpage's corporate owners, said the lawsuit will not pass legal muster and is barred by federal law. The site is owned by Village Voice Media in New York.
Backpage is a popular online destination for escort services. The company has been under heavy pressure to change the way it operates.
Last May, the mayors of nearly 50 cities across the U.S. -- including New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Philadelphia -- signed a letter urging Village Voice Media to require identification for people posting escort ads on Backpage.com.
"Is it proper for some outfit, for some entity, to make millions of dollars not only in trafficking women, but even more importantly trafficking children?" asked Seattle attorney Mike Pfau, who with Erik Bauer represents the teens. "No. It is absolutely unacceptable."
The lawsuit alleges that photos of the underage girls in skimpy garb appeared in numerous ads on the site, paid for by their pimps. It accuses the owners of doing nothing to prevent it. The actions described in the complaint date to 2010.
