First, please don't consider me a fan of MySpace, because I'm not. I consider it a blight on the internet in several different ways (we can talk about that some other time). However, I'm on their side when it comes to things like this:

A 14-year-old Travis County girl who said she was sexually assaulted by a Buda man she met on MySpace.com sued the popular social networking site Monday for $30 million, claiming that it fails to protect minors from adult sexual predators.

The lawsuit claims that the Web site does not require users to verify their age and calls the security measures aimed at preventing strangers from contacting users younger than 16 "utterly ineffective."

There is no question that this is a tragic story. It is horrible that this girl was raped and the perpetrator should be tried, convicted and imprisoned. However, it seems silly that MySpace should pay 30 million dollars to the girl who intentionally skirted their “utterly ineffective” security measures and foolishly arranged a real-life meeting with an unknown online contact.

If a guy and girl meet at a bar, and he turns out to be a cad, is the bar responsible for any emotional or physical suffering? If I set up a friend on a date and it ends badly, is that my fault?

One word: Frivolous.

Throw it out.

Or maybe modify the suit so the girl sues her mother instead for providing the internet connection.