The online marketplace app LetGo is facing a wrongful death lawsuit after a Colorado couple was shot to death while meeting up with a seller using the app.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the couple’s five children, and the suit which was filed in federal court names Letgo and its parent company OfferUp as defendants.

In August 2020, Joseph and Jossline Roland were using the app LetGo to search for a vehicle for their teenage daughter. Joseph Roland came across a Toyota RAV4 being sold by an 18-year-old Kyree Brown who was posing as a man by the name of James Worthy. Worthy was also listed as a “verified seller” on the app.

The couple agreed to meet with Brown in a public parking lot and when they arrived, Brown told them that he had accidentally brought along the wrong vehicle title. Brown instructed the couple to follow him so that they could retrieve the title for the RAV4. Instead, Brown drove the couple to a different location before he attempted to rob Roland and his wife out of the $3,000 they had brought along to purchase the vehicle. After brandishing a handgun and a short scuffle, Brown fired a round of shots subsequently killing the couple. It was later revealed that the SUV the couple was trying to purchase had also been stolen a couple of days before the fatal meet-up took place.

According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit details that because the app classifies some users as “verified sellers,” that label gives users a false sense of trust to be had with those they are communicating with. The lawsuit explains, “The Letgo App provides an illusion that these alleged ‘verified’ accounts can and should be trusted above their online ‘marketplace’ competition. However, it has become increasingly clear that Letgo falsely advertises itself as a safe online marketplace for verified sellers without having any sort of legitimate verification process.”

In actuality, anyone can become a “verified user,” as the only requirement is that an email address be provided. Contrary to what the name suggests, verified users do not undergo any security or background checks to ensure their credibility.

The complaint attacks the app’s operation procedures explaining, “It is outrageous conduct that Letgo led customers to believe the App had any legitimate verification process when any user, (let alone Mr. Brown – who had a criminal record), could use fictitious names and sell stolen vehicles as ‘verified’ by simply providing an e-mail address.”

The lawsuit contends that because the couple knew that seller was a “verified user,” they did not suspect any danger in following Brown to a different address. The complaint accuses the app of not implementing stricter verification procedures.

The lawsuit claims that the app was negligent and responsible for the couple’s senseless murder. Additionally, the suit accuses both LetGo and OfferUp of fraud, misrepresentation, deception, and unfair trade practices. The suit is asking for a jury to determine damages.