Lawsuit claims AOL monitor supposed to protect kids seduced girl
LOS ANGELES A California teen has filed a lawsuit claiming she was propositioned by the on-line monitor in a kids-only chat room. An America Online employee allegedly sent the girl graphic images and e-mails over the course of two years, starting when she was 15 years old. The lawsuit says the two were also in phone contact, and had plans to have sex on her 17th birthday.
It's exactly the kind of scenario the monitor was hired to prevent. The lawsuit says another A-O-L worker became suspicious and blew the whistle.
A-O-L has since fired the man and referred the case to law enforcement agencies. The company says it closely screens its chat-room monitors, and that it acted quickly in this case.
The girl's lawsuit is apparently the first such claim against an employee at a major Internet service provider. It alleges negligence and false advertising. The suit seeks at least 25-thousand dollars from the man, A-O-L and its parent company, Time Warner.
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