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Lawsuit Claims Facebook Failed to Protect Sex Trafficking Victim

Lawsuit says Facebook took no steps to verify identity of sex trafficker who friended victim

What to Know

  • The woman suing Facebook said she was lured into sex trafficking by someone who friended her on Facebook.
  • After the two met, the victim alleges she was "raped, beaten and forced into further sex trafficking."
  • The lawsuit says Facebook took no steps to verify the friend's identity.

A Texas woman who was a victim of sex trafficking when she was just 15 years old is suing Facebook, claiming the social media platform did nothing to protect her from being recruited by a trafficker disguised as a so-called "friend."

The victim, known only as Jane Doe, described disturbing details of how she was lured into sex trafficking by someone who friended her on Facebook. She said he told her she was "pretty enough to be a model" and went on to promise "financial security" through modeling jobs.

After the two met, the victim alleges she was "raped, beaten and forced into further sex trafficking."

The lawsuit says Facebook took no steps to verify the friend's identity and claims the social media site has not taken any reasonable steps to keep sex traffickers from using its platform to exploit children.

News4 reached out to Facebook for comment but has not received a response.

The lawyers who filed the case against Facebook also represent nine Jane Does in groundbreaking lawsuits against major hotel chains, a story News4 first reported earlier this year.

The lawsuit against Facebook was filed late Monday afternoon.

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