Associated Press reports:
An Ohio attorney has filed a class-action lawsuit against Internet websites that make money by posting mugshots of people who get arrested.
Toledo lawyer Scott Ciolek filed the suit against five commercial websites in Lucas County this week. He claims more than 259,000 Ohioans have been cataloged on various sites and, to have a photo removed — even if a person has been found not guilty or the charges were dismissed — the sites charge a removal fee.
Read more on The Review.
I don’t know if this is the first lawsuit of its kind, but I’m surprised I haven’t seen such lawsuits before now. I know it feels like extortion, but is there actually a legal prohibition against charging a fee to remove a public record from your web site? If so, what is it?