A lawsuit has been filed in St. Louis against an online classified ad site that was used to advertise a girl as a prostitute. The girl was a 14-year old runaway a decade ago when she met a woman who convinced her to be a prostitute and advertised her services on backpage.com. The woman, Jewell McFarland, has pleaded guilty to a federal prostitution charge.
The girl’s lawyer tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the lawsuit could help stop websites from advertising sex with children. The lawsuit is asking a court to order damages of $150,000 for each violation.