Now the former boyfriend has a new problem: A big law firm recently has come to the law student’s aid and is suing him in federal court in Los Angeles.
The woman’s lawsuit, filed under a pseudonym to protect her privacy, seeks damages for violating United States copyright law by posting the video and photos without her permission and also causing her emotional distress.
The lawsuit reflects a battle line that is being drawn in an age when it is not uncommon for couples to share nude photos digitally, and just as easy for a jilted lover to find a pornographic website willing to post them online.
The litigation is the handiwork of a new initiative by K&L Gates, a Pittsburgh-based law firm. Begun in late September, its Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project has roughly 50 lawyers at the firm volunteering their time.
The “Jane Doe” complaint filed on behalf of the law student is among the first lawsuits filed by the K&L clinic, which is working with about 100 victims of “revenge porn,” a type of online harassment that involves the non-consensual posting of sexually explicit material — often involving a former girlfriend or a spouse.
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“Hypothetically one thing a victim might be after is something that will make them whole,” said Ms. Franks, whose organization began operating in 2013. “Most of the criminal punishments don’t require a person to take down the material. That is something that is better addressed by civil law.”
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