$ 1.2 billion, or almost PLN 5 billion, was awarded by a Texas court to a woman who was the victim of revenge by her ex-boyfriend, the BBC reports. To humiliate her, he allegedly posted intimate photos of her on the Internet.
The verdict, which was handed down last Friday, has now been reported by the media. When informing about the case, they write about “revenge porn”. A woman with the initials DL filed a lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend in 2022. In it, she alleged that the man had published intimate photos of her on the Internet to “publicly embarrass” her after the breakup.
Sentenced for posting intimate photos of ex-girlfriend online
The BBC, citing court documents, says the couple started dating in 2016. During the relationship, the woman shared her intimate photos with her partner. In October 2021, they ended their relationship. Then, according to the New York Times, DL allegedly told her former partner that she no longer wanted him to have access to what the lawsuit described as her “visual intimate material.” However, the ex-boyfriend was supposed to post these photos on social media platforms and adult sites. The New York Times notes that the man also allegedly identified her in the published material, using her name, address and pictures of her face. “On the social media pages where he posted the photos, he tagged the accounts of her employer and her personal gym,” we read in the portal.
According to media reports, the photos allegedly also went to her friends and even family – via a publicly accessible folder on a virtual drive. “You’ll spend the rest of your life trying to wipe your photos off the web without success. But everyone you meet will hear your story and start looking for them,” reads a message from an ex-boyfriend quoted by the BBC. According to the portal, the man also had access to the ex-girlfriend’s phone, her social media accounts and e-mail. According to the BBC, he even used cameras in the woman’s mother’s house to spy on her.
According to DL’s lawyers, the publication of the photos was a combination of “mental abuse, domestic violence and sexual harassment.” They originally asked for $100 million. The BBC, citing local media, writes that the defendant did not appear at the trial, NYT.com adds that it has not been possible to obtain his position on the matter.
Ultimately, the court ordered the woman to pay $200 million for “past and future mental anguish” as well as $1 billion in restitution. “We are grateful that the jury has taken a strong stance against the defendant’s abhorrent behavior and sexual abuse involving images,” DL’s lawyer, Bradford J. Gilde, said in a statement. While he does not believe that the full amount will be obtained, he emphasizes: “We hope that this staggering amount is a deterrent message that will stop others from engaging in such nefarious activities.”