Backpage Owners' Lawyers Argue for Access to Seized Servers

Backpage Owners' Lawyers Argue for Access to Seized Servers

PHOENIX — Last Friday, a pre-trial hearing was held in a Phoenix federal court regarding the ongoing government lawsuit against former Backpage owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin.

Judge Susan Brnovich, of the U.S. District Court for Arizona, heard arguments from the prosecutors wishing to prevent Lacey and Larkin’s defense from accessing data on Backpage’s servers, seized by the government during much-publicized raids in 2018. The raids coincided with the passage of FOSTA legislation.

Judge Brnovich was unconvinced by the prosecution’s arguments. She did not reject the defense motion to access and examine the servers seized in April 2018 and scheduled an evidentiary hearing for October 3.

These are the servers that the government alleges contain evidence that the Backpage business model was set up to facilitate commercial sex activities against the law, particularly concerning the trafficking of minors.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who launched her national political career on the back of her crusade against the adult classifieds platform, told an interviewer earlier this year that "Backpage was providing advertisement for the sale of children, of minors."

The government was hoping to focus their case on only 50 ads that they claim showed that Lacey and Larkin were actively involved in promoting illegal commercial sex. The defense argued that the voluminous information on the rest of the servers that the government has kept out of their hands since April 2018 contains evidence exonerating their clients.

This information includes what the defense argues is evidence of extensive and long-term cooperation between Backpage and law enforcement, and also with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The case had been returned to the District Court in late July, when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the stay issued by the district court preventing the defense “from litigating the legality of the seizure of Backpage funds,” according to Lacey’s attorney Paul Cambria.

For more of XBIZ’s ongoing coverage of the Backpage case, click here.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

XBIZ 2026 Conference to Debut All-New Company Lounges, Community Track

The event website for XBIZ 2026 is now live, offering information about North America’s largest adult industry conference, set to take place Jan. 12-15.

Mymember.site Integrates VR Functionality

Mymember.site has added virtual reality playback capability to its website management platform.

Texas Patti to Launch Fetish Platform 'EmpireDom'

Performer and content creator Texas Patti is launching a new platform for doms and fetish creators, EmpireDom.com.

Ohio AG Threatens Action Against 'Major' Adult Sites Over AV Law

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his office is sending "notice of violation" letters to 19 adult websites for failure to comply with the state's recently enacted age verification law.

Chaturbate Announces 2025 Music Contest Winners

Chaturbate has revealed the winners of its 2025 music competition.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Noms Open With Debut of New 'Impact' Honors

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s premier career honor, begins today and runs through Oct. 14.

MYM Rolls Out New Traffic Features for German Creators

German platform MYM has launched a new traffic system for its creators.

Ukrainian Content Creators on Hook for Nearly $10M in Back Taxes

Content creators in Ukraine owe the equivalent of $9.3 million in back taxes, according to the country's State Tax Service.

Updated: European Patent Office Board of Appeals Revokes EIS GmbH Patent

The European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeals last week ruled in favor of pleasure brand LELO in the company's ongoing dispute with Satisfyer parent company EIS GmbH.

Eroutique Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Eroutique has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Show More