Rockstar Sued Over Hidden GTA: San Andreas Content

After being roundly castigated by politicians and special interest groups, then having its game removed from store shelves following a rerating to Adults Only, Rockstar has now been sued over the "Hot Coffee" module normally inaccessible in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The plaintiff, 85-year-old Florence Cohen of New York, is alleging that Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games used false and deceptive practices in failing to disclose the sexual content of the game. Interestingly, Cohen apparently had no problem with the existing violence descriptors and M rating for 17 and up when purchasing the title for her 14-year-old grandson. Despite this, attorney Lawrence D. Paskowitz, Cohen's attorney, insisted that parents would not buy adults-only software for their children. "They should really make sure this doesn't happen again," said Paskowitz. "The least this company can do is offer refunds." The amount of damages Cohen is seeking in the lawsuit has not been disclosed. In addition to the lawsuit, Take-Two has released a statement confirming the previously announced Federal Trade Commission probe investigating its advertising practices for the title. Take-Two announced that it would comply fully with the investigation, saying: "Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive regret that consumers may have been exposed to content that was not intended to be accessible in the playable version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."