A Texas jury has delivered a groundbreaking verdict in favor of a woman, awarding her an unprecedented $1.2 billion in a revenge porn case.
Identified only as DL in court documents, the woman filed a harassment lawsuit against her former boyfriend in 2022. She alleged that he engaged in revenge porn, sharing intimate photos of her online as a means of public humiliation following their breakup.
The legal victory is being hailed as a significant triumph for victims of “image-based sexual abuse,” according to attorneys involved in the case. Lead trial lawyer Bradford Gilde noted that while it’s unlikely the full judgment will be recovered, the compensatory verdict holds immense value in restoring DL’s reputation.
Original damages case
Originally seeking $100 million in damages, the legal team expressed hope that the substantial verdict would serve as a strong deterrent, discouraging others from participating in such reprehensible behavior.
Court documents reveal that DL and her ex-boyfriend began their relationship in 2016. During their time together, she had shared personal photos with him. After their breakup in 2021, he allegedly posted these private images on social media and adult websites without her consent.
Furthermore, he distributed links to the images through a publicly accessible Dropbox folder, sending them to her friends and family. The former partner was also accused of unauthorized access to DL’s phone, social media accounts, email, and even the camera system in her mother’s residence, which he exploited to surveil her.
The accused
The accused did not appear in court and was unrepresented by an attorney, as reported by US media. In response to the lawsuit, he was ordered to pay $200 million for past and future mental anguish, along with $1 billion in exemplary damages.
Notably, substantial settlements have been achieved in prior US revenge porn cases. In 2018, a California woman received a $6.8 million award after her former partner shared explicit photos of her on pornographic websites.
DL’s case underscores the complexities and emotional toll of revenge porn incidents. With limited recourse from local law enforcement, she turned to civil litigation. In 2016, approximately 10 million Americans reported being victims of non-consensual or revenge porn, with a significant number of them being women aged 18 to 29, according to a study by the Data & Society Research Institute.
