Craigslist chief 'mystified' by sheriff's sex ad lawsuitCraigslist's chief executive has fired back at an Illinois sheriff who is suing the popular website for promoting prostitution prostitution, act of granting sexual access for payment. Although most commonly conducted by females for males, it may be performed by females or males for either females or males. with free classified ads for "erotic services." Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart dart see blow dart. dart gun see blow dart. filed a lawsuit a day earlier in US District Court accusing Craigslist of being the largest source of prostitution in the nation for allowing ads by people offering sex for cash. "Frankly, Sheriff Dart's actions mystify me," Craigslist CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Jim Buckmaster Jim Buckmaster (born in Ann Arbor) is a programmer who has been the chief executive officer of Craigslist since 2000. He was an undergraduate at Virginia Tech and studied medicine and classics at the University of Michigan in the 1990s. said in a statement. Buckmaster maintains that Craigslist had "very positive communications" in 2007 with the Cook County Sheriff's Office, explaining the legality le·gal·i·ty n. pl. le·gal·i·ties 1. The state or quality of being legal; lawfulness. 2. Adherence to or observance of the law. 3. A requirement enjoined by law. Often used in the plural. and intent of the classified-ad website's Erotic Services section. Craigslist says it has since instituted new measures to prevent the website from being used as a tool in the illegal sex trade and implemented an anti-abuse plan endorsed by attorneys general in Illinois and 39 other states. Dart's lawsuit was filed four months after San Francisco-based Craigslist settled a nationwide lawsuit by promising to enact new rules to crack down on prostitution. "We assist police forces all over the country, including members of Sheriff Dart's department," Buckmaster said. "The vast majority seem to understand that Craigslist is part of the solution when it comes to combating terrible crimes like human trafficking and child exploitation." Dart used a private law firm to file his civil suit, Buckmaster noted. US law protects Craigslist and other websites from being responsible for content posted by users, the website's lawyers argue. Buckmaster pledged that Craigslist will "vigorously" defend against Dart's lawsuit. Dart is asking a federal judge to order Craigslist to eliminate its Erotic Services section. He is also seeking reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. for tax dollars spent paying the salaries of officers who investigate and arrest those responsible for trafficking prostitutes on the website. "This section is a convenient clearing house for pimps, prostitutes and patrons that enables sellers to advertise and buyers to peruse pe·ruse tr.v. pe·rused, pe·rus·ing, pe·rus·es To read or examine, typically with great care. [Middle English perusen, to use up : Latin per-, per- discretely," Dart said in court filings. While Craigslist does not profit from ads in the Erotic Services section, Dart claims the traffic it generates accounts for the bulk of the website's popularity and allowed it to generate 80 million dollars in revenue last year from paid posts for jobs and apartments. In November, Craigslist said it would charge a small fee and require credit card verification See CSC. for postings in the Erotic Services section and all revenue from the ads would be donated to charity. 
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