MySpace Sued Over Teen's Suicide in 2006

The family of a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide following a sexual relationship with a 27-year-old man she met online is suing MySpace for allegedly facilitating communication between the two.

The lawsuit, filed in the 298th Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas, accuses MySpace of negligence in a tragedy that began when then-14-year-old Kristin Helms, of Orange County, California, met the adult Kiley Bowers on the internet and began a sexual relationship over online chats and webcams.

It's a heartbreaking story, all the more so because the parents, as in the Megan Meier tragedy, went to some lengths to try and protect their daughter. But it's not clear why MySpace should be held responsible. This isn't a case of a predator finding victims on the social networking site.  Helms didn't even have a MySpace profile when she first started chatting with Bowers online.

Courts have rejected similar MySpace suits -- including one filed by the same attorney -- under the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from most types of lawsuits stemming from user-submitted content.

The plaintiffs this time argue that CDA doesn't apply because the lawsuit isn't about content.  "Plaintiffs simply complain of MySpace's failure to do even the bare minimum to reduce the threat of these attacks."