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MySpace might be old hat by social networking standards, but one woman is glad the court system hasn't completely forgotten about it.
Julie Riggs received some justice in late July when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision and revived her claim that News Corp., previous owner of MySpace, breached an implied promise to pay her for an idea to set up a celebrity verification service on the network, according to a report by the Hollywood Reporter.
Ms. Riggs started the “Celebrity Guardian Angel” service for MySpace in 2006, setting up a page that would verify celebrity accounts were real, according to reports. However, a person pretending to be Johnny Depp got her kicked off MySpace, claiming she was harassing and bullying him.
Ms. Riggs fought back, filing a lawsuit against MySpace in 2008. However, a California federal court dismissed her complaint of negligence against MySpace.
The 9th Circuit revived her claim against the social network, affirming the lower court's decision to dismiss the negligence claim, but reversed the dismissal of a claim that MySpace breached an implied contract, according to the Reporter.
Ms. Riggs' allegation that MySpace had stolen her idea for a celebrity verification service will go back to federal court, according to the Reporter, where it could move ahead for a trial.