2 Revenge Porn Lawsuits Lead to Damages Awards for Survivors, One Totaling $1.2 Billion

2 Revenge Porn Lawsuits Lead to Damages Awards for Survivors, One Totaling $1.2 Billion

Aug 23, 2023

A jury awarded a survivor of image-based sexual abuse – commonly referred to as “revenge porn” – $1.2 billion in damages following a trial in Texas.

The plaintiff – a woman identified in the lawsuit as D.L. – said she began dating defendant Marques Jamal Jackson in 2016. The two moved to Chicago for Jackson’s job, according to a report from CBS News, but broke up in 2021.

Following the breakup, the lawsuit alleged that Jackson posted intimate images of D.L., which were obtained while they were dating, onto various social media platforms and adult websites. The suit alleged Jackson’s actions were an attempt to “embarrass, harass, torment, humiliate, and publicly shame” the plaintiff.

Court documents indicate that one of Jackson’s final messages to D.L., post breakup, read:

“You will spend the rest of your life trying and failing to wipe yourself off the internet. Everyone you ever meet will hear the story and go looking.”

In addition to posting the visually intimate material of D.L. across the internet, the lawsuit accused Jackson of:

• Tapping into the plaintiff’s mother’s home security system to spy on D.L.
• Sending D.L.’s friends and family links to sites where intimate images of her had been uploaded
• Hacking D.L.’s work Zoom account
• Telling a loan officer D.L. submitted a fraudulent application
• Tapping D.L.’s bank account to pay his rent and other bills

The Harris County District Court jury unanimously voted to award the woman the historic $1.2 billion revenge porn damages award earlier this month. The verdict is viewed as largely symbolic and an opportunity to raise awareness about what CBS News referred to as an “epidemic” of revenge porn. D.L.’s attorney noted that it’s unlikely the plaintiff will be able to collect that sum of money from Jackson, but expressed satisfaction with the result.

“We are grateful the jury took a strong stand against the defendant’s abhorrent behavior and against imaged-based sexual abuse. While a judgment in this case is unlikely to be recovered, the compensatory verdict gives D.L. back her good name,” D.L.’s attorney said in a statement following the verdict.

“The punitive verdict also is the jury’s plea to raise awareness of this tech-fueled national epidemic. We will forever admire D.L.’s courage in fighting back. We hope the staggering amount of this verdict sends a message of deterrence and prevents others from this engaging in this despicable activity.”

Court documents indicate that Jackson will be forced to pay D.L. $1 billion in punitive damages and $200 million in actual damages (referring to mental anguish she has suffered in the past and will suffer in the future), a report from NBC News confirmed.

Despite Jackson’s lack of current assets, D.L.’s attorney noted that the $1.2 billion judgment can remain attached to his future assets.

“Until he pays this off in full, he will forever have this lingering over him,” the attorney said, according to NBC News.

Texas One of 48 States to Make Revenge Porn Illegal

Like California, Texas is one of 48 states – as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam – which have outlawed nonconsensual pornography or revenge porn. Texas instituted the Relationship Privacy Act in 2015, forbidding the “unlawful disclosure or promotion of intimate visual material.”

As NBC News noted, survivors, advocates, and sexual assault attorneys prefer the terms ‘nonconsensual pornography’ or ‘image-based sexual abuse‘ as opposed to the more commonly used ‘revenge porn.‘ The latter is often construed as implicitly blaming the victim and can therefore “obscure a variety of motives,” NBC said.

New Jersey Woman Successfully Sues Former Teacher for Posting Images to Revenge Porn Website

A New Jersey woman was awarded $10,000 in damages after her intimate photos were posted online. Kaitlyn Cannon, 29, filed the nonconsensual revenge pornography lawsuit after a friend alerted her that photos which were initially sent to the victim’s then-boyfriend were on a website notorious for trafficking in such material.

“An Ocean County jury on Friday found that Christopher Doyle, who was Cannon’s teacher at Wall High School in New Jersey, disseminated 14 of her nude and seminude selfies online. She still has no idea how he got them,” a report from Insider confirmed.

“I was shocked and confused, hoping it wasn’t real,” Cannon testified last week in Ocean County Superior Court.

The jury – made up of four women and three men – determined that Cannon was owed $10,000 in damages for the violation of her privacy. Doyle, Cannon’s former teacher, was found to have violated New Jersey’s nonconsensual pornography statute as well as a law against publicly disclosing private facts, Insider confirmed.

How to File Your Nonconsensual Pornography or ‘Revenge Porn’ Claim for Damages

Sam Dordulian is a leading image-based sexual abuse (commonly known as revenge porn) attorney who fights for justice on behalf of survivors across the United States. Dordulian appeared on the Dr. Phil Show last year with survivors of image-based sexual abuse where he discussed the issue of nonconsensual pornography and how survivors can pursue justice against their perpetrators.

California banned the sharing or distribution of sexually explicit images or videos without a person’s consent in 2013. As a result, you may be eligible to secure financial compensation by filing a civil lawsuit with Dordulian Law Group (DLG) if you have been the victim of any of the following:

• Nonconsensual pornography
• Image-based sexual abuse
• Revenge pornography
• Deepfake pornography
• AI-generated intimate content

To speak with an attorney regarding your case, contact DLG today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM for a free and confidential consultation. Our team of dedicated sexual assault and image-based sexual abuse attorneys is here to fight aggressively for justice. Cash settlements and verdicts related to revenge porn cases may include various damages, such as:

• Emotional trauma
• Lost wages or reduced earning capacity
• Counseling or therapy expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Prescription drug costs
• Medical care costs
• Punitive damages

Our Sexual Assault Justice Experts are here to help survivors secure justice. Contact our top-rated attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.

If you’ve discovered that your intimate images or videos have been distributed online, taking immediate action is strongly recommended. This includes filing your civil claim as soon as possible after realizing that the intimate content has been disseminated. Material posted on the internet can be disseminated widely over a short period of time, and the longer a victim waits to file a claim, the more difficult the expungement process can be after a successful civil outcome.

Contact us today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM to take the first step towards obtaining justice for your image-based sexual abuse or nonconsensual pornography case.