06:59 AM EST, 11/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates to attribute to Snap throughout, adding a quote from the company in the last paragraph.)

Snap (SNAP) has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by the New Mexico state government accusing the company of allowing the sexual exploitation of children on its Snapchat messaging platform, the company said late Friday.

Snap claims the state's investigation contained flaws, the company said in an email to MT Newswires that included excerpts from its motion to dismiss filed on Thursday.

New Mexico set up a phony account for a 14-year-old girl, which investigators said quickly received suggestions from Snapchat to add users with sexually explicit account names even before it sent out friend requests. But Snap countered that the account sent friend requests to certain users with what it described as sexy-sounding names.

"Plaintiff's complaint appears drafted to grab headlines, rather than help New Mexicans," the company said. "It is also legally deficient."