A Michigan woman whose identity has not been released to the public, has made headlines because of the outcome of her civil lawsuit resulting from revenge porn. Although her attorney refused to divulge her identifying information, he did say that her former boyfriend lives in Macomb County, MI and that she is happy with the way the case has been handled.
Apparently the situation began when the woman’s ex boyfriend set up a fake Gmail account in her name. He then used this false account to contact a photographer who had previously photographed the woman in the nude. Pretending to be the woman in question, he asked the photographer for copies of the images, which the photographer provided, having fallen for the deception.
Once he had the pictures, the former boyfriend posted them to various revenge porn sites on the internet. Once they became public, some of the woman’s friends saw them online and contacted her to let her know. The situation deteriorated from there.
According to her attorney, the woman tried contacting some of the revenge porn websites herself, begging to have the pictures removed. She was unsuccessful. Her college performance was affected, as was her employment. In addition, the woman said she struggled with having a stalker. Her attorney says that she was “tormented for over a year and a half” as a result.
Once the woman hired an attorney to help her resolve the problem, the situation began heading towards resolution. The attorney subpoenaed Google to request the Internet protocol addresses linked to the fake Gmail account. Once he had the information, he was able to trace that particular account back to the former boyfriend. According to court documents, the man had set up the account using his cell phone and then authenticated it from the same phone.
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Martha Anderson awarded the woman the total sum of $500,000 for damages caused. Additionally, the judge also granted a permanent injunction against the woman’s ex-boyfriend. It requires him to immediately destroy all of the photos, and never again repost them to third-party websites. In the event that the man violates this court order, he can be held in contempt of court, and may face jail or fines.
The moral of the story here is to think carefully before you act. We understand the frustration that comes with being jilted or dumped. There is sure to be anger that you experience when someone walks away from a relationship that you’ve invested so much in. The answer is never revenge porn. Gratifying as it may feel for a moment or two, the lasting damage, both to you and to your intended victim, is not worth it.
Recent changes in Michigan law have made revenge porn illegal, which means that in addition to possible civil suits, there is the very real possibility of criminal charges. So as experienced defense attorneys, we would like to caution all of our readers to carefully consider their actions when responding to a break up. If however, you have already made a mistake and are in need of help, contact us immediately at 866-766-5245. We can help you.