Twice pimping charges thrown out in Backpage lawsuit due to First Amendment; after Nov 1 will money laundering charges remain?

(Image: People)

"It’s a case – and a legislative battle – that could rewrite the future of free speech online."

"The people of the state of California vs. executives of classified advertising website Backpage.com has all the elements of a John Grisham legal thriller. Maverick online publishers turned criminal defendants. Charges of multimillion dollar money laundering schemes related to the illicit sex trade. Powerful politicians hashing out the limits of Constitutional rights in the digital age."
"“The people of the state of California have a strong and legitimate interest in combating human trafficking (but) that legitimate state interest ... is not absolute and must be constrained by the First Amendment.”

"Attorneys for five women who said they were prostituted on Backpage as teenagers sued the website in January alleging they were advertised on the site between 2013 and 2016. Lawsuits were filed in courts in Southern California, Alabama, Texas and Washington state."

"Earlier this month, in Seattle, three of the women announced they had settled their lawsuits with Backpage. Civil cases in other states remain."

Read the complete article:
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article178966551.html

Previous posts:
http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2016/10/online-site-backpagescom-ceo-arrested.html?m=1

http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-arrest-of-backpage-ceo-has-local.html?m=1