INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightPashaIgnatovImage caption
Intimate images were widely shared online after the relationship in the case
broke down
A California court has awarded $6.4m (£4.5m) in damages to a woman in a revenge porn case
The unnamed woman sued ex-boyfriend David K Elam II after he put naked videos and pictures of her online.The award compensates for the harm
done by sharing the images, stalking, emotional distress and copyright infringement.The judgement was made in a civil suit as a federal
criminal case against Mr Elam was dropped in 2014.Legal firm KL Gates fought the case as part of the firm's Cyber Civil Rights Project,
which helps victims of revenge porn for reduced fees.Court documents seen by the BBC reveal that David Elam and Jane Doe, the pseudonym
given to the woman in the case, met via an online dating site in 2012.Ms Doe sent intimate images and videos to Mr Elam while the pair were
in a relationship but were living far apart in the US
Soon after the relationship broke down, say the papers, Mr Elam threatened to "ruin the life" of Ms Doe and uploaded the images to several
social media networks, porn websites and dating services.Mr Elam is also alleged to have impersonated Ms Doe on these sites and encouraged
others to send her sexual images
He also shared her mobile number and home address with anyone who responded.As a result of this activity, the court papers say, Ms Doe "has
continually feared for her physical safety".In order to get the content removed, Ms Doe was forced to copyright her image and serve
take-down notices to the many different sites on which they were uploaded.The court found that Mr Elam was liable for the injuries caused by
his "systematic revenge porn campaign" and ordered him to pay damages
"Revenge porn is a very serious violation of someone's rights and can lead to very serious injuries that are worthy of being redressed,"
said Seth Gold from KL Gates in an interview with CNN Money.
