Woman Sues Yahoo Because Search On Her Name Links To Porn And Malware

from the and-now-it'll-link-to-bogus-lawsuits dept

Tue, Feb 17th 2009 10:00am — Mike Masnick

Eric Goldman alerts us to the latest questionable lawsuit against a search engine -- this time involving a woman suing Yahoo due to her unhappiness concerning search results on her own name. You have to read Goldman's full description of the case -- I can't do it justice -- but the woman appears to claim that she's an important figure and the only one in the world with her name (Beverly Stayart or Bev Stayart), and was greatly upset to find that when she searched on her name, there were links to questionable sites -- some of which showed adult videos or had her antivirus software warn her of malicious attacks. It's unclear why the woman thinks she owns the rights to all search results on her name, but it seems quite likely that Section 230 safe harbors should protect Yahoo from any sort of liability. Of course, with articles like this one and Goldman's, it seems likely that search results will show plenty of other links now as well.

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Filed Under: bev stayart, beverly stayart, lawsuits, liability, searches
Companies: yahoo

63 Comments

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Anonymous Poster, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:15am

What a friggin' idiot.
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- Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:33am
  
  Re:
  Great. Now she'll try to sue TechDirt for defamation.
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Guy oNe, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:18am

i looked
i looked and could not find any porn...WTF! i thought i could see Beverly Stayart or Bev Stayart in some porn... okay i admit i am just trying to put Beverly Stayart's name and porn together a few times just to help her out.
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- Anonymous Coward, 18 Feb 2009 @ 8:26am
  
  Re: i looked
  whats this about Beverly Stayart and PORN, was she (Beverly Stayart) actually featured in the PORN? Did Beverly Stayart do standard PORN, or that crazy maxican beastiality PORN? Silly Beverly Stayart her name will FOREVER be linked to both PORN and STUPIDITY forever on the internet.
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some old guy, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:22am

She's no longer employable
Seriously, what employer would hire a person who goes around slinging silly lawsuits like this? Wouldn't they be too worried they would have to waste company resources defending some stupid case she brought against them someday?
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lol, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:34am

aren't people just awesome!
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- Laurel LaFlamme, 18 Feb 2009 @ 3:54pm
  
  Re: awesome peeps!
  WORD!
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mermaldad (profile), 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:45am

Go figure...
She's a legal assistant and CFO of a law firm. My guess is that she's been in the legal environment long enough that the thought of suing when someone displeases you just comes naturally. Yet another example of the Streisand Effect.

Important announcement for all people (and search engines) out there: Beverly Stayart does not want her name associated with Porn. Bev Stayart != Porn. When you think of Beverly Stayart, do not think of porn. Glad I could be of service.
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- Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 3:33pm
  
  Re: Go figure...
  Beverly Stayart Porn
  Bev Stayart Porn
  Osama Bin Laden Beverly Stayart
  Osama Bin Laden Beverly Stayart Porn
  Bev Stayart Osama Bin Laden Porn
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:48am

So.. she's saying that's not her with the goat then?
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Searching Newb Needs Help, 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:52am

What am I doing wrong..

Googles - "Bev Stayart"
Googles - "Beverly Stayart"

O wait safesearch is on.. *fixes*

*retries*

Damn still no porn! This things broken!
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- Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased), 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:02am
  
  Re:
  RTFA
  Try Yahoo! That is who she is suing. I won't try it. Not interested, really.
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- Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 7:08pm
  
  Re:
  she's suing Yahoo, not google
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 17 Feb 2009 @ 10:57am

Working the Streisand effect?
I wonder if she could be trying to ensure that searches for her name end up with lawsuit info, instead of actual porn links.

Lawsuit as SEO?
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Zak, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:03am

This shouldn't be even allowed to make it to the court. I hope Yahoo sues her and her lawyers back and destroys them. Z.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:06am

Just tried "Yahoo-ing" her name. Still no rotten stuff. Apparently Yahoo has already fixed the issue, or something.
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Rob, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:06am

That's because you need to use Yahoo ;)

But she's still retarded.
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Adamo, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:06am

"participates in an online discussion forum where her "scholarly" posts have generated 17,000 hits in three years"

LOL, I wonder how many of those 17k said "you're an idiot":))

A
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- Matt T., 17 Feb 2009 @ 5:00pm
  
  Re:
  Or the slightly-less scholarly "your an idiot".
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bubba, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:07am

want to annoy her more?
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bubba, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:08am

want to annoy her more?
BeverlyStayart.com is available. oh the things one could do to drive her to litigation...
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- Yakko Warner, 17 Feb 2009 @ 1:37pm
  
  Re: want to annoy her more?
  Oh, so tempting.
  
  Of course, even registering that domain is likely a trademark violation, considering she is the only Beverly Stayart on the internet (or so she claims, ¶19).
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No Kidding, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:09am

Nut Case
The goat did not seem too into it.
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Freedom, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:20am

Really Yahoo?
Does anyone really still use Yahoo? Who knew! Now at least I know why - apparently you can find porn much easier, especially if you have a thing for woman named Beverly Stayart ;)

Freedom
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:20am

So people still use Yahoo? Maybe the problem is that since the internet is only used to get porn and Yahoo knows it, it actually returns porn for any search. The most I could get (other than blogs on the trial) was a canadian blog where they were calling her "some nut" (does that mean she's famous?) because of her pro-animal choices.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:20am

Funny. My comment is almost identical to Freedom's, and written at the same time.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:22am

What can you do?
I know someone named Sean Cody...look that crap up - he is pissed, but what can you do?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:25am

There's no porn from a yahoo search either. That sucks, I was hoping to see what she looked like nekkid.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:36am

I dated a Beverly Stayart while in HS, probably not the same one (I was drinking back then). We had sex, then stopped when she went into porn. Became a porn star I think. Is it porn star or pornstar?

Anyway, Beverly Stayart - There is and always will be a hole in my body since you left. Beverly Stayart, if you ever cum back and fill the void you left, I would be forever grateful.
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Maxwell Smart, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:36am

Getting what she wants...
According to the goog, the only thing she's famous for these days is filing really stupid lawsuits. That should help her job prospects and social standing.

What would be easier to explain A)that you are not affiliated with the porn that comes up when your name is queried or 2) that your not an idiot?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:37am

So this Beverly Stayart person was looking for porn and found herself? How freaky is that. I hope she's suing Beverly Stayart as well.

Sounds like Beverly Stayart is not very competent where law is concerned. Litigation should never be filed when one is angry or Hot. Girls should be taught that when they are teenagers! Even Japanese schoolgirls know enough not to get their panties in a bunch over search results. Beverly Stayart should be taught that her case is Barely Legal. I know society has Gone Wild, but cmon Beverly Stayart!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:41am

Puts "more" in MORON
This woman thinks that she's the only one with her name. So if someone with the same name commits a felony, can she sue that person too? After all, news outlets might put the story on air or in print. Could she sue those places for libel/slander for printing her name in conjunction with the crime?

She needs to fill out the ID-ten-T form (aka ID10T form)
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:47am

LIFL Hunter
It's all a misunderstanding due to a typo - she is not a MILF but a LILF (Lawyer I'd Like to Forget).

Happens all of the time.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 11:49am

why is she searching for porn at work?!
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Jenna, 17 Feb 2009 @ 12:25pm

WTF Happened to me too!
My name is Jenna Jameson and I have the exact same friggin problem. I did a search on my name and WTF I get a porn sites popping up all over the place.

Who the hell do I have to sue to get this to stop?!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 12:32pm

people just want to get famous by filing lawsuits against famous people or companies
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 12:51pm

When will there be a fine for tards that file frivolous lawsuits and waste tax payer money while clogging up the courts? Let's start with Beverly "Sad I'm not really a Porn Star" Stayart, douche-hole of the day.
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Cpt Obvious, 17 Feb 2009 @ 12:55pm

Revoke her internet license
the internet police need to revoke bev's internet surfing licensing, apparently she has forgot surfing rule 3.245 section 12 "..at any site on the web an inexperienced surfer in only six click away from porn..."
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Kevin, 17 Feb 2009 @ 12:57pm

Google?
She's not suing Google, she's suing Yahoo. Try searching for her on that search engine instead.
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- Chronno S. Trigger, 17 Feb 2009 @ 1:28pm
  
  Re: Google?
  Did you? All I'm finding from her name is seal_2.jpg and seal_1.jpg. It's a little funny but that's it. The web search didn't turn up anything ether, and I looked threw several pages.
  
  Ether Yahoo "fixed" it or she was searching for something else. Maybe she has spyware on her PC that redirects to porn. A client of ours had that on one of their PCs. Every time you tried to go to AVG, BOOBS.
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Never Underestimate Greed and Stupidity, 17 Feb 2009 @ 1:27pm

Searching Anything Gets You a Porn Link
She is a complete idiot and/or a greedy punk and I hope the judge makes her pay all of the court costs and all of Yahoo's expenses.

I found the link. It's hots.stayart.ze.cx tempting you with nude pictures of beverly dangelo [sic]. Thus the link to it by searching beverly stayart.

Why does she not sue the web site owner? Simple it's a Steve Dallas law suit - go after the party with the most money no matter how incidental the connection to the alleged offense.
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Babs, 17 Feb 2009 @ 1:40pm

I thought it was Bev Streisand?
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Stuart, 17 Feb 2009 @ 3:32pm

Beverly Stayart never did porn.
Beverly Stayart dose not do goatse either.
Beverly Stayart never did blow job porn.
Nor did Beverly Stayart do any hand jobs I know of.
If Beverly Stayart ever did anal porn it would be a surprise to me.
Anyone who quotes Beverly Stayart as saying "Porn has been very, very good to me." would be mistaken.
Beverly Stayart is not a porn star.
Beverly Stayart dose not have a "Bangin Ass"
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Obvious, 17 Feb 2009 @ 3:34pm

This thread has so many mentions of Beverly Stayart and Porn....that this thread alone should trigger it. LOL
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2009 @ 3:45pm

Bev Stayart might enjoy PORN
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Fred Otto, 18 Feb 2009 @ 7:57pm

Yahoo and Various a/k/a Adult Friend Finder
Before you get too complacent, you might want to check to see that there is no other Bev Stayart in the White pages or on any of the posting regarding this Bev Stayart. So I am not so sure that Yahoo will have immunity once they were notified to quite associating her name with Cialis, Viagra and the porn.

Also Adult Freind Finder used her name without her permission in the title tag for their page and also as a Meta Tag.

Further, more this is a Wisconsin jury and not a California jury.

Wait & we will see who wins this one.

F. Otto
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2009 @ 3:55pm

She sent out sexual content? So Beverly Stayart is involved in the porn business? Just curious.

I doubt, however, that she has a shaved pussy or that there are pictures of her wide open beaver.

How dare a search engine associate her name - Beverly Stayart - with things like that, or lesbian erotica, or child porn or anything at all of the sort.
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Will, 22 Feb 2009 @ 9:32pm

The irony is that now whenever someone searches for the name Beverly Stayart the first thing they'll see is stories about this lawsuit.
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no way, 8 Mar 2009 @ 8:40am

I have the same problem!
I googled (not yahoo) my name with quotes a couple of days ago. The first 3 links were valid. The other 450 are all porn sites! I'm pretty upset about it. How did they even get my name and why would they bother to do this? Most of these sites are domains that have been hijacked as well as my name. I've never had anything to do with these sites and have led a clean life.

I've been spending hours on end trying to write to the webmaster of each of these sites and politely ask them to remove my name. It's a very frustrating and time consuming process. I've actually only been able to get 3 sites removed so far.

I'm in college right now in the health field. My fear is that when I graduate I won't be able to find a job because I look like a porn-freak.

This is serious and these search engines need to find a way to make it easier for us to deal with these types of issues.
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- Carl Johnson, 8 Apr 2009 @ 8:50am
  
  Re: I have the same problem!
  You are right that the search engines need to find a way to . . . deal with these issues. As long as they feel they have no liability they will continue to post pornography under the names of innocent people. There are thousands of people who have been damaged by the reckless conduct of the search engines in this regard. The "tech" people who are so arrogant will find they no longer have jobs when the search engines begin their next round of lay-offs.
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Eric Ghoul, 31 Mar 2009 @ 2:27pm

Beverly Stayart v. Yahoo
If Eric Goldman had even a basic legal education, he would know that a lawyer would not be allowed to file a case in any jurisdiction unless he/she was admitted there at the time of the filing of the lawsuit. Also, had Eric Goldman checked the White Pages, he would have seen the following, "There is one unique Beverly Stayart in the United States." A map on the same page of this White Pages result shows that this Beverly Stayart resides in Wisconsin, the same state in which her lawsuit was filed. Beverly Stayart previously resided in Illinois, so any address history for Beverly Stayart showing Illinois is for the same Beverly Stayart now residing in Wisconsin. I guess the techies in California are so terrified of having their jobs shipped to China and India that they are blindly lashing out at any threat they perceive. This is undoubtedly attributable to their inferior education as "techies." Even the techies in China and India surpass the Silicon Valley techies or the California techies would not be losing their jobs to vastly superior workers in China and India. By the way, Eric, we share the same first name and last initial, so I guess we are brothers of sorts!
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Hamster, 12 Aug 2009 @ 6:55am

@Jenna Jameson
Jenna, dont be upset but u couldnt ever remove your name from google :( You are the most popular girl on the net, wouldnt it bother you or not :)
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Sep 2009 @ 6:14pm

"Boing Boing: Beverly Stayart's Profile
Beverly Stayart. Recent Comments. Favorite Posts. Friends. Spherical brass barometer ... The design of this spherical brass barometer is beautiful."

What was she doing on a website called Boing Boing, writing about a spherical brass barometer? Is that a code-word for something else?
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L. P. W., 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:48am

Is it true that if you attend Marquette or U.W. law schools you are not required to take or pass the two bar exams required in all the other states? Apparently it is. Quoting from the article "Challenge to 'diploma privilege' reinstated by U.S. Court of Appeals," the author Alex De Grand stated, "A class of recent graduates from ABA-accredited schools outside Wisconsin who seek a law license in Wisconsin argued that the privilege infringes on the Commerce Clause because only graduates of the law schools at Marquette and the University of Wisconsin benefit from it." I never thought these two schools were any good. But apparently both Eric Goldman, who has commented on this case, and the judge in the case graduated from Marquette.
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James H., 3 Sep 2009 @ 9:57am

Yahoo doesn't need anyone to file a lawsuit for them to go down the tube. They are losing market share daily and their share price continues to plummet!
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Ned, 10 Nov 2009 @ 9:40am

Rashid Randa is an Arab Afghan who is a close friend and associate of Osama bin Laden.
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Mike Frizzi, 13 Nov 2009 @ 8:26am

Wow...she thinks she is such a unique being that nobody else can use or have her name. Does she really think she has any chance of winning, or does she just want to push the sites with her name on them further down the search results by filing this frivolous suit and getting the accompanying media coverage? Still, I wonder how her name ended up turning results for malware and pornography...Maybe some starlet user her name as an alias...unreal.
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friz, 15 Jan 2010 @ 11:27am

Mike Frizzi,

Did you graduate from grade school? It is incumbent upon the defense to prove there is another Beverly or Bev Stayart. If you will check all of the people search directories, you will find there is only one Beverly/Bev Stayart in the U.S.A.

Who is named Mike Frizzi other than frustrated nobodies? What a moron you are, Frizzi! Are you a janitor at Yahoo? A job as a custodian is probably too challenging for you!
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Search Terms on the Internet, 12 May 2010 @ 10:48pm

Beverly Stayart - Scumbag lawyer and nutty animal rights lunatic
Beverly Stayart is a lawsuit-happy nut.

Now I'll just mention a bunch of unrelated terms:

whore cunt bitch slut porn xxx trash sex obama one term president slutty blue ipad prostitute
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casa, 28 Oct 2010 @ 12:21pm

casa
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kevin (profile), 14 Apr 2011 @ 12:20am

Good post. It is really help to us. Its give us lots of interest and pleasure. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. Its pelletizing production line really a good article. It gives me lots of pleasure and interest.
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Bob, 6 Jun 2012 @ 5:09pm

Bev Stayart has won a legal victory in Walworth County Circuit Court, Wisconsin, against Various, d/b/a AdultFriendFinder and AdultFriendFinder.com. On May 16, 2012, Judge James L. Carlson ruled that Stayart stated a claim for violation of her right of privacy and publicity under Wisconsin law. Judge Carlson denied Various' motion to dismiss. The case is Stayart v. Various, d/b/a AdultFriendFinder and AdultFriendFinder.com, Case No. 2011-CV-1115. Stayart alleged that Various used her name on its website AdultFriendFinder.com, as well as on websites of its affiliates, to drive traffic to its online dating service and increase membership. Bev Stayart is represented by John M. Murphy of Murphy, Volbrecht & Kuehn, S.C., in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
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Michael, 6 Jun 2012 @ 5:29pm

All the anonymous bloggers will now have to take back every false statement they made about Bev Stayart's lawsuit. Judge Randa in his 2009 decision authorized Stayart to proceed in state court against Various. Judge James L. Carlson has now ruled that Stayart has stated a cause of action against Various for invasion of her right of privacy and violation of her publicity rights under Wisconsin law.
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