A divided federal appeals court Thursday revived claims accusing Salesforce of violating sex trafficking statutes through its contract with the now-defunct classified ad site Backpage, ruling a key internet content law does not protect the website from the lawsuit.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit was asked to clarify the scope of a recently enacted exception to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunity that protects online platforms from civil claims for third-party content if the underlying conduct violates a federal anti-sex trafficking law, a question lower courts have grappled with.