Delaware plans to try to dissolve Backpage.com registration

(AP) — Delaware officials plan to go to court to use a new law to dissolve the state limited liability company registration of Backpage.com, which authorities have dubbed an “online brothel.”

The News Journal reports it learned of the plan from a Department of Justice letter sent on Friday to the Delaware Coalition for Open Government. The newspaper says the state justice department confirmed the plan.

Julia Lawes, a department spokeswoman, says officials will be acting deliberately, because the case could affect how the courts handle future filings. She also notes that the federal government already has frozen operations.

State officials had their hands tied, because the online company was meeting requirements for a business entity. The new law enables the state to go after bad actors.