A California judge rejected pimping charges against the operators of a major international website advertising escort services that the state attorney general has called the "world's top online brothel," citing federal free speech laws. California Attorney General Kamala Harris had charged Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer and former owners Michael Lacey and James Larkin, but Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman sided with attorneys for the men and the website in ruling that the speech was allowed under the federal Communications Decency Act.
- Read the article: Chicago Tribune
