A new federal lawsuit in Orlando is the latest legal effort to shut down social media website Backpage.com on allegations that it encourages and profits from sex trafficking.
An Orlando-based human-rights organization, Florida Abolitionist, is behind the suit. Another plaintiff in the case is identified only as Jane Doe, a victim of sex trafficking who was raped repeatedly after connecting with men on the Backpage website, the lawsuit says.
But that’s not the only reason the suit was filed in Central Florida. The lawsuit says Orlando is a hub of sex trafficking, and Florida is third in the nation for sex trafficking behind California and Texas. Florida Abolitionist is one of several groups in the area that are working to combat sex trafficking by educating hotels and restaurants about warning signs that sex trafficking is occurring.
According to the lawsuit, Backpage.com “knowingly participated in, and benefited financially from, the unlawful sexual exploitation” of thousands, and maybe millions, of victims, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit claims that Backpage forced Florida Abolitionist to spend time and money on the unnamed Jane Doe victim when she was raped and injured. The suit seeks unspecified money damages, punitive damages, and unspecified injunctions against the website.
Testimony by experts before a U.S. Senate subcommittee about Backpage said the site has handled up to 70 percent of sex trafficking in the U.S.
Backpage has faced a flood of legal complaints and a Senate subcommittee investigation. Its CEO, Carl Ferrer, and other top officers last year faced criminal charges that were dropped. New criminal charges filed in December by the California Attorney General Kamala Harris are still pending.
The company has issued statements saying investigations made it too costly to keep operating it’s adult section. It has referred to charges and complaints as “unconstitutional government censorship.” But critics said the site only moved listings for escorts or sex out of “Adult Services” headings and into a “Dating” section.
One of the best-known litigation law firms in the U.S. is handling the new Orlando case, and a similar case filed in Arizona: New York-based Boies Schiller Flexner. David Boies, a partner in the firm, is listed as the lead trial attorney in the case.
In 2016, Orlando law enforcement officials reported a slight increase in juvenile sex trafficking cases locally. The victims included a 14-year-old girl who was forced into prostitution and overdosed on drugs given to her by alleged traffickers, according to officials with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Orlando-area law enforcement organization.
The lawsuit alleges that Backpage employees helped sex traffickers avoid legal pitfalls and loaded words by scrubbing underage references such as “teen” or “Lolita.”
An ad included in lawsuit documents that the plaintiffs say is a sign of trafficking says, “Here’s your chance.. Real pic, no rush plus I like. What I do even though I just started.”
Many hotels throughout Orlando are used by sex traffickers, said Jan Edwards, president and CEO of Pave the Way. It has has a program designed to teach employees at tourism sites to recognize sex trafficking and what they should do if they see it.
“There’s not any one hotel or ZIP code where it’s happening,” Edwards said. “ It’s not just happening down on OBT, which has a reputation for it. Any hotel front-desk operator has seen it.” She said the simple fact that there are more hotels on International Drive means a propensity of the problem happens there.
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