SACRAMENTO—Attorneys for three corporate officers of Backpage.com said Wednesday they intend to formally challenge “pimping” allegations filed in connection to escort ads that appear on the online classifieds site.
Berkeley defense attorney Cristina Arguedas told a Sacramento County Superior Court judge that the charges are “flatly barred” by the First Amendment and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides broad protection to content providers over information that appears on websites. A hearing on the challenge has been scheduled for Nov. 16.
