Dating Site Swiped Dead Soldier's Picture: Suit

A friend of an Army lieutenant killed in Iraq in 2007 came across something disturbing in December: a picture of the late Peter Burks, in uniform and looking for love online. His picture was featured in ads—with the words, "Military Man Searching for Love" or "Soldiers Want You!"—for dating site True.com that ran on PlentyofFish.com, another dating site, and now Burks' family is suing both, reports the AP. They say the photo of Burks was taken just days before his death at age 26, and say it certainly wasn't one he uploaded to the dating site.

The family claims the online dating companies used Burks' picture without permission, and notes that Burks was engaged when he died—so the idea of him searching for love "couldn't be more wrong." His dad adds that the photo in question is featured on the website of a fund the family runs to provide supplies to troops in Burks' honor. A PlentyofFish rep says hundreds of thousands of third parties advertise on the site, and PlentyofFish isn't involved in or in charge of the content of those ads. But it did block the True.com ads after being notified by Burks' family. (More soldier stories.)