Dark Revenge: US court slaps record $1.2b fine on ex-boyfriend for sharing girl's nudes after hacking into security cams

A Texan jury has made a historic decision, awarding a woman £944 million ($1.2 billion) following their verdict that she fell victim to revenge porn. The woman, referred to only as DL in court records, initiated a harassment lawsuit against her former boyfriend in 2022. The lawsuit alleged that he maliciously shared intimate images of her online as a means of publicly humiliating her after their relationship ended. Her legal team hailed the ruling as a victory for survivors of “image-based sexual abuse”. Bradford Gilde, the lead trial lawyer, commented, “While the chances of fully recovering this judgment are slim, the compensatory verdict restores DL’s reputation.” Originally, the legal team sought $100 million in damages from the jury. Gilde expressed hope that the substantial amount of this verdict would serve as a strong deterrent, discouraging others from engaging in such reprehensible actions. According to court documents, the woman and her former boyfriend commenced their relationship in 2016. During their time together, she had shared private photos with him. However, after their breakup in 2021, he allegedly posted these photos on social media platforms and adult websites without her consent. Furthermore, it’s alleged that he circulated links to the explicit images through a publicly accessible Dropbox folder, sending them to her friends and family. The defendant was also accused of hacking her phone, social media profiles, email, and even the security camera system at her mother’s residence, which he used to invade her privacy. At a certain point, the accused reportedly sent her a menacing message: “You’ll spend your entire life attempting in vain to erase yourself from the internet. Everyone you encounter will hear the tale and go searching. Enjoy the hunt.” The woman’s legal team contends that her former boyfriend posted the pictures “with the intention of inflicting psychological abuse, domestic violence, and sexual abuse”. The defendant did not appear in court and lacked legal representation, as reported by US media. The court ordered him to compensate the woman with £157 million ($200 million) for past and future emotional distress, in addition to an exemplary £783 million ($1 billion) in damages. Notably, significant settlements have been reached in past US revenge porn cases. In 2018, a California woman received a £5.3 million ($6.8 million) award after her former partner shared explicit photographs of her on adult websites. DL revealed in an interview with a Texan broadcaster that, due to limited assistance from local law enforcement, she turned to a civil attorney for support. In 2016, approximately 10 million Americans reported falling victim to non-consensual, or revenge, pornography. A study conducted at that time by the Data & Society Research Institute indicated that many of these victims were women aged 18 to 29. With the exception of Massachusetts and South Carolina, all US states have established laws against revenge porn.