A victim of sex trafficking is reportedly suing the founders of Backpage.com under the New York Child Victim’s Act, claiming that the website aided in her exploitation and abuse.

Victim Files Backpage Sex Trafficking Lawsuit in New York

According to a report in the New York Post, plaintiff Melanie T. claims she was exploited by a human trafficker for several years starting when she was only 12. Melanie says that the trafficker advertised her for sex on Backpage.com, and that the founders of the site allowed these ads to be posted despite knowing that she was a minor.

Her Backpage sex trafficking lawsuit was filed against the two founders of the website, as well as its former CEO and several companies that held ownership stakes in the business.

Melanie claims she was originally forced into prostitution on the street and in an underground strip club. However, once her trafficker found Backpage.com, her exploitation became much worse.

According to Melanie’s lawsuit, although her age was obfuscated on the advertisements, the founders of the site knew that she was a minor and turned a blind eye to the exploitation of her and other young women and girls on the site. As a result of these ads, she claims she was repeatedly abused, exploited, and raped by men who found her on Backpage.com over the course of several years.

She claims that the website made it easy and efficient for her trafficker to find clients, many of whom were violent. According to the New York Post, Melanie said, “There was an influx in the amount of sex buyers that purchased me from the website as opposed to street prostitution. There were a lot more individuals and a lot of them were more violent.”

Backpage was founded in 2004 as a place for people to advertise erotic massage, prostitution, and other adult activities. However, the site was also used by pimps and sex traffickers to exploit their victims. According to federal prosecutors, Backpage.com was a flourishing website.

According to Now This News, as much as 70 percent of human trafficking victims report being sold to their abusers online, on sites like Backpage.  The site is estimated to have brought in approximately half a billion dollars over the 14 years it was in operation.

In April 2018, Backpage.com was shut down by the U.S. Justice Department and charges including money laundering and conspiracy were filed against the founder and CEO. Additionally, multiple other Backpage sex trafficking lawsuits have been filed by victims who were exploited by advertisements on the site. Melanie filed her lawsuit on Jan. 21 in New York, under the Child Victim’s Act.

Child Victims Act Allows Victims of Backpage Sex Trafficking to Sue Abusers

The Child Victims Act was signed into law in 2019. Under the law, the statutes of limitations for cases of sexual abuse were updated to allow people who were sexually abused as minors to file civil lawsuits against their abusers until the age of 55. Prior to the Child Victims Act, victims were only given until the age of 23 to open their cases.

In addition to suing their abusers, many victims of human trafficking have also filed lawsuits against the entities or companies that allowed the abuse to occur. Other sex trafficking victims have filed lawsuits against hotel chains, claiming that hotel employees failed to recognize the signs of exploitation and trafficking when victims were sold out of hotel rooms. Other victims including Melanie have sued the websites that allowed advertisements for sexual exploitation to be posted.

If you or a loved one is a victim of sex trafficking, you may be able to hire a qualified attorney to represent you in a legal case against the traffickers, as well as the entities that were complicit in the abuse.

If you were a victim of sex trafficking and forced to work at a truck stop, hotel or motel, night club or other hotel venue, you may be eligible to move forward with a civil investigation against these businesses. This investigation involves a civil case, and is not a criminal case against you or your loved ones.

Top Class Actions is working with experienced human trafficking attorneys who will be informed and sensitive to your situation. Join the fight by filling out the short form on this page. 

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