RI Woman Sues Dozens in Revenge Porn Federal Lawsuit

RI Woman Sues Dozens in Revenge Porn Federal Lawsuit

A Rhode Island woman has filed a federal lawsuit against dozens who she claims assisted in a global case of revenge porn. She has filed the case under the pseudonym of “Jane Doe.” The defendants are named according to screen names linked to the posting of her images. The alleged violations have been global.

She filed the suit in United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island in Providence.

According to the lawsuit, the Rhode Island woman  “is the victim of revenge pornography which, along with her personal identifying information, has been and is being disseminated and promoted by the Doe Defendants online without her consent.”

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“The actions complained of herein are intended to and have resulted in damages to Plaintiff, including but not limited to extreme mental distress and anguish, significant injury to reputation, and ongoing mitigation expenses,” claims the suit. “The intimate images of Plaintiff disseminated by the Doe Defendants depict Plaintiff in various states of nudity and have been published on the Internet either as individual images or as part of an album of images (collectively, the “Content”).”

According to the lawsuit, the "Content depicts Plaintiff in various states of undress, exposing intimate parts of her body."

"Plaintiff intended the Content to be shared only with her exclusive romantic partner at the time and thereafter maintained in strict confidence," according to the lawsuit. 

 

Personal Information Published and Harassment

“Some of the albums through which the Content was published have included Plaintiff’s personal identifying information, including name, city of residence, phone number, and other contact information,” claims the lawsuit.

And the suit claims the Rhode Island woman “has been contacted directly with perverted and harassing messages by others who have located the various publications of the Content online.”

 

Global Distribution

Her images have been used on multiple websites. And at least one has been tracked to a Turkish escort website.

“One nude image of the woman has also been utilized to create a purported escort advertisement on two Turkish websites, thereby falsely representing that she is engaged in sex work and unlawful solicitation. Contrary to the intended and false implication, She has never engaged in any sex work. Upon information and belief, the advertisements are used by online scammers to target and entice sextortion victims into interacting with the account under false pretenses,” cites the lawsuit.

 

She Has Spent Tens of Thousands

According to the woman’s attorneys, she has spent tens of thousands to track the images and fight to have them removed.

“To date, as a result of the actions complained of herein, she has incurred no less than $67,159.15 in mitigation expenses for monitoring and searching the Internet for the Content and attempting to cause removal of the Content when discovered,” states the lawsuit.

 

Gone on for Years

According to the lawsuit, the first detected posting of her image dates back to March of 2022.

The 20-page lawsuit includes multiple counts, including invasion of privacy, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The lead attorney for the Rhode Island woman is Daniel Powell, the managing partner of MINC, LLC, an Ohio firm that specializes in such cases.

He did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.