A Texas jury has delivered a groundbreaking verdict, awarding a woman Sh172.68 ($1.2billion) in damages after finding her to be a victim of revenge porn.
The woman, identified in court documents only as DL, filed a harassment lawsuit against her former boyfriend in 2022, alleging that he maliciously posted intimate images of her online following their breakup.
DL’s legal team celebrated the ruling as a significant victory for victims of “image-based sexual abuse,” shedding light on the far-reaching consequences of such actions.
The woman’s lead trial lawyer, Bradford Gilde, emphasized that while full recovery of the judgment might be unlikely, the verdict serves to restore DL’s reputation tarnished by the incident.
Originally seeking $100 million in damages from the jury, the awarded amount underscores the severity of the offense. Gilde noted that the substantial verdict is intended to send a strong message of deterrence to potential perpetrators and prevent others from engaging in similar “despicable activity.”
Court documents reveal that DL and her former boyfriend initiated their relationship in 2016, during which she shared intimate photos with him.
However, after their breakup in 2021, he is accused of posting these images without her consent on various social media platforms and adult websites, with links even sent to her acquaintances via a publicly accessible Dropbox folder.
Further allegations against the defendant include unauthorized access to DL’s phone, social media accounts, email, and surveillance using the camera system at her mother’s residence.
Notably absent in court and unrepresented by an attorney, the defendant faced consequences despite his absence.
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The jury ordered him to pay $200 million for past and future mental anguish, along with $1 billion in exemplary damages, marking one of the highest settlements in revenge porn cases.
This case exemplifies the broader issue of revenge porn, a harmful phenomenon where explicit images are shared without consent, often causing lasting psychological and emotional distress.
The victim recounted that local law enforcement offered limited assistance, prompting her to pursue legal recourse.
Statistics from 2016 indicate that around 10 million Americans reported falling victim to non-consensual or revenge porn, predominantly affecting women aged 18 to 29, according to the Data & Society Research Institute.
The majority of US states, excluding Massachusetts and South Carolina, have implemented anti-revenge porn laws to address this pervasive problem.
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