IANAL but this looks like civil law not criminal law, and my uneducated reading is that it seems to enable the escort to sue her client and/or the site to recover damages. Is that the way it looks to anyone else? How is that gonna work, anyway? Where is Shyster Jon when we need him?
Originally Posted by billw1032
What do you think I am, a fucking genie? You say my name and I appear, ready to answer all your legal questions?
A couple of friends told me about this thread. I've been busy this week and just had the chance to scan it. A few initial observations:
1. Of all the posts in this thread by guys with 'funny' comments, 99.99% were lame, not funny. Please, think before you post. No one likes to have their time wasted by reading dreck. pyramider, for example: You really need to get some new material.
2. I didn't see anything in the TV report that I think threatens the security of Eccie. We get these minor penetrations from the outside world every once in awhile. Some clueless TV reporter wants to advance her career. Some hack politician wants to get reelected. Some ambitious cop wants a promotion. Who cares?
3. Senate Bill 94 merits discussion, but no one in this thread has picked up on the biggest purpose of the bill: Reducing underage prostitution. People hear of a statute making "compelling" prostitution illegal and they assume the word "compelling" was used with its normal meaning: forcing. But if you've done your Hobby World Homework, you've read this thread:
"Texas Laws Regarding Underage Providers"
...and you know that the offense of compelling prostitution can be committed in either of two ways:
Texas Penal Code Sec. 43.05. COMPELLING PROSTITUTION.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:
(1) causes another by force, threat, or fraud to commit prostitution; or
(2) causes by any means a child younger than 18 years to commit prostitution, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the child at the time the actor commits the offense.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a felony of the second degree. An offense under Subsection (a)(2) is a felony of the first degree.
See
Texas Penal Code § 43.05 (emphasis added).
A careful reader will notice that section 43.05(b) has changed since I wrote the thread in January 2011. Back then, any form of compelling prostitution was a second-degree felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Effective September 1, 2011, the punishment for causing a prostitute 17 years of age or younger to commit prostitution was increased to a first-degree felony. In Texas, a first-degree felony is punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
In my view, laws and resources place significant emphasis on fighting three types of prostitution: (1) underage prostitution; (2) what I'll call 'adult human trafficking' prostitution, where prostitutes are brought into the United States and enslaved; and (3) what I'll call 'pimp prostitution,' where native adult women are 'forced' to work as prostitutes for food, shelter, and drugs.
SB 94 may very well be enacted into law, and I'll write my views about it at another time. But I'll say this now: In my opinion, the obvious concern for Eccie's owners, members, and users regarding SB 94 is involvement in underage prostitution, whether it be from advertisements, reviews, or other forms of entanglement.