Judge Tosses Sheriff’s Suit Against Craigslist Over Prostitution Ads

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a sheriff’s lawsuit against Craigslist that claimed ads for prostitution posted on the website created a public nuisance.

U.S. District Judge John Grady said Craigslist wasn’t legally responsible for the content, Bloomberg reports. Grady found that the company is protected by the Communications Decency Act, which shields providers of interactive computer services from liability, according to the Register. His Oct. 20 opinion (PDF posted by USA Today) cited a federal appeals court ruling finding the same law protected Craigslist from liability for discriminatory housing ads.

The suit by Cook County Sheriff Dart cited an opinion by the advocacy group the Polaris Project that Craigslist is the biggest source for prostitution in the United States. The company has since replaced the erotic services ad category with one for adult services and requires posters to register and pay, according to the Register and USA Today.