An Oregon woman is suing Yahoo for an estimated $3 million, claiming the portal site didn’t remove nude images of her after saying it would do so.
Cecilia Barnes, 48, claims her ex-boyfriend created profiles of Ms. Barnes, featuring the images in question, as well as other personal information like her work phone number and email address. The plaintiff’s ex would then engage in chat sessions, pretending to be Ms. Barnes and directing people to her images.
Because of her ex-boyfriend’s exploits, people would show up at her work, expecting a sexual meeting. To combat this, Barnes requested Yahoo remove these profiles, to which she received no reply. Barnes continued her efforts, eventually getting a response from Mary Osako, the director of communications for Yahoo.
However, OregonLive.com speculates this was done because a local television station was preparing to run a story about the Barnes plight. According to Barnes’ attorney, Thomas R. Rask III, Osako called Barnes and informed her the offending images would be removed.
Until Yahoo agreed to remove the images, they were protected by federal law that prevents lawsuits over information posted by third parties. However, once Yahoo agreed to remove the images, Oregon law stipulates they are obligated to do so, according to her attorney.
However, Rask indicates the images are still there, hence the lawsuit filing. Keeping with company policy, Yahoo did not comment about the upcoming proceedings.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
