Website & Exposure to Liablity

[jc130]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? DC

Hello,
I am a college student and am interested in creating a website where students from my college can find other students that are going abroad for the year or semester. The purpose of this is to enable the students abroad to network so if Student A is traveling, he can contact Student B who is studying in that country and meet up, or find a place to stay for free with Student B.

My question is though, will I be exposing myself to any liablity by doing this? What if Student B is a rapist or if the situation does not work out? The only thing I intend on verifying is that anyone that registers has an email address at my college.

I do not plan on charging for this services, so I was not going to establish a formal company.

I am a college student so my funds are limited. Do I need to contact an attorney for help with this?

Thank you in advance.

JC

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by jc130

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? DC

Hello,
I am a college student and am interested in creating a website where students from my college can find other students that are going abroad for the year or semester. The purpose of this is to enable the students abroad to network so if Student A is traveling, he can contact Student B who is studying in that country and meet up, or find a place to stay for free with Student B.

My question is though, will I be exposing myself to any liablity by doing this? What if Student B is a rapist or if the situation does not work out? The only thing I intend on verifying is that anyone that registers has an email address at my college.

I do not plan on charging for this services, so I was not going to establish a formal company.

I am a college student so my funds are limited. Do I need to contact an attorney for help with this?

Thank you in advance.

JC

**A: the answer is yes. And if you are going to type text for your website, I suggest you utilize spellcheck.

[RuGa]

Typically with such a venture as you are proposing, you would definitely need to have a clear SoS (Statement of Services) in which you and your 'company' can not be held liable or the actions of 3rd parties.
Also a ToS (Terms of Services) which also clearly states that you (your company) can not guarantee actions by 3rd parties.

As an example, look at Craigs List....they offer all kinds of services and their ToS and or SoS clearly state they have NO liability and can not be held responsible for the actions of outside parties....

Hope this helps.

[quincy]

Disclaimers and Terms of Service agreements do not protect a site against lawsuits. They may mitigate damages in the event of a lawsuit filed against you, but they will not prevent a lawsuit from being filed.

Liability for the content on your site can be dependent on how much control you exert over the content itself (such as editing). The more control you have over what is posted, the more liability you may face if the material posted leads to a lawsuit.

Regardless of how much control you have over the site, it is wise to have insurance coverage.

You should definitely consult with an attorney in D.C. prior to publishing, and go over with the attorney your proposed content and the legal challenges you may face. To contact an attorney, you can use the "Find a Lawyer" feature to the right of this page.

Your idea is potentially a good one - although I can also see a real danger to the students who choose to use the information posted on your site to connect with others.

Good luck.