Yahoo Reaches Deal in Junk E-Mail Case

Yahoo Inc. has reached an out-of-court settlement with a Canadian man accused of bombarding its e-mail users with nearly 100 million junk messages.

Eric Head, of Kitchener, Ontario, agreed to pay a six-figure settlement and stop sending unsolicited commercial e-mail. Neither party would disclose the precise amount.

Head did not admit or deny Yahoo’s allegations. In a statement issued by his attorney, Huey Cotton of Los Angeles, he expressed “deep regret for any inconvenience he may have caused anyone.”

Cotton said Head was now playing in a rock band and writing software to protect children from Internet pornography.

Chris Gaither