http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557805691-5ac 05:02 AM ET 12/29/98 AOL Sues Man Over 'Spam' E-Mails SANTEE, Calif. (AP) _ America Online is suing a 21-year-old Southern California man, claiming he sent millions of unwanted e-mail messages _ known as ``spam'' _ to customers. The company is seeking an injunction and punitive damages ``sufficient to punish'' the man and deter him and others from future barrages of junk e-mail, AOL officials said Monday. The suit is one of several recently filed by the Dulles, Va., company, and AOL said last week that the court awarded ``substantial monetary damages'' in three similar cases. In federal court documents, AOL accuses Michael Persaud of digital trespassing and fraud, saying he repeatedly sent unsolicited messages in a ``dubious attempt to lure unwitting individuals.'' The company said Persaud solicited money from AOL customers in exchange for a directory of home employment companies and a ``Home Worker's Survival Guide.'' From March 1997 to November, he operated under the aliases of James Butterfield, Henry Summers or Brian Crawford, generating ``tens of thousands'' of complaints and clogging computer systems, the company said. Persaud, who sent the messages from his mother's home just east of San Diego, was not immediately available for comment. AOL said Persaud forged the AOL.com domain or Internet address on e-mail messages so online members would think the company approved of the offers. Randall Boe, AOL's associate general counsel, said Persaud was acting with at least one other person, but he declined to give details. AOL sent Persaud a letter telling him to stop bombarding its members, Boe said, but the spamming continued and the company filed suit. ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT: Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/ Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants Give the Gift of Life This Year... Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/ To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
