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OFF BEAT: IMDB sued by 40-something actress

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OFF BEAT: IMDB sued by 40-something actress

While it may be considered rude to ask a woman her age, an actress is seeking more than an apology for publishing her age without her consent.

The unidentified actress has sued Amazon.com Inc. and subsidiary IMDb.com Inc. in federal court in Seattle, seeking $75,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.

She accuses Internet Movie Database of breach of contract, fraud, and violation of privacy and consumer protection laws.

The actress, who is said to be “around 40” and also uses a stage name, alleges the website illegally obtained her date of birth by cross-referencing her credit card with public records when she subscribed to its “pro” service in 2008.

According to the suit, IMDb refused to remove her date of birth from her profile and claims that the actress' age was provided by her agent.

The lawsuit calls into question whether IMDb will be offered protection under the Communications Decency Act, which ensures that interactive computer services cannot be held liable for publishing defamatory content provided by a third party.

The actress says she has kept her real age a secret because she claims she looks to be much younger than she really is. According to the suit, she has been denied roles portraying younger women since her age was made public, and cannot find work for characters closer to her own age.

“The plaintiff has experienced rejection in the industry for each "40-year-old' role for which she has interviewed because she does not and cannot physically portray the role of a 40-year-old woman,” the suit states.

Amazon and IMDb declined to comment on the case.