PORTLAND, Oregon, May 27, 2005 – A woman sued Yahoo Inc. for $3 million, alleging the Internet site failed to fulfill a promise to remove nude pictures of her from the Web.
Cecilia Barnes, 48, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Multnomah County, claims an ex-boyfriend began posting unauthorized personal profiles of her containing the photos in December. The profiles included her e-mail address and work phone number.
The former boyfriend also engaged in online discussions in Yahoo chat rooms while posing as Barnes and directing men to the profiles, the lawsuit claims.
“Due to these profiles and online chats, unknown men would arrive without warning at plaintiff’s work expecting to engage in sexual relations with her,” the lawsuit claims.
Barnes sent Yahoo a letter in January saying she did not create the profiles and wanted them removed. Additional attempts to get Yahoo to remove them in February and March did not get a response, the lawsuit claims.
A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the company does not comment on pending litigation.