Frivolous Counterclaims in Revenge Porn Cases: A Common Tactic to Re-Traumatize Victims When survivors of nonconsensual pornography bravely step forward to pursue justice under 15 U.S.C. § 6851, they often face more than just legal hurdles. Increasingly, perpetrators respond with baseless counterclaims—usually for defamation—intended not to vindicate any legitimate grievance, but to harass and intimidate…
“I Wasn’t Served!” — A Common Delay Tactic by Revenge Porn Defendants One of the oldest tricks in the book for civil defendants—especially those facing serious consequences—is to claim they were never served with the lawsuit. In cases involving nonconsensual pornography, this tactic is disturbingly common. Perpetrators attempt to avoid accountability by pretending not to…
Part 5: The First Amendment, Appeals, and What Comes Next in Doe v. Gipson This post concludes our in-depth series on Jane Doe v. Mark A. Gipson, a landmark federal revenge porn lawsuit brought under 15 U.S.C. § 6851. Our series began with a breakdown of the first federal appellate ruling under § 6851, followed…
Part 3: Inside the First Federal Jury Trial Under 15 U.S.C. § 6851 — Justice Delivered In April 2025, a federal jury in the Western District of Texas delivered a powerful message: victims of nonconsensual image abuse can and will obtain justice under 15 U.S.C. § 6851, the federal civil revenge porn statute. In Jane…
Part 2: How the Court Protected Jane Doe — Injunctive Relief, Contempt, and the Power of § 6851 In Part 1 of our series on Jane Doe v. Mark A. Gipson, we explored how this groundbreaking federal lawsuit was the first to reach trial under 15 U.S.C. § 6851, the federal revenge porn statute enacted…
Part 1: A Landmark Lawsuit Under 15 U.S.C. § 6851 — The Civil Path to Justice for Revenge Porn Victims In our earlier article, we discussed the Fifth Circuit’s groundbreaking appellate decision in Doe v. Gipson, the first ever to interpret the federal civil revenge porn statute, 15 U.S.C. § 6851. We followed up with…
Introducing Our Five-Part Series on Doe v. Gipson: A Landmark Federal Case Under 15 U.S.C. § 6851 Earlier, we published an article about a groundbreaking appellate decision in Doe v. Gipson — the first federal appeal interpreting the civil “revenge porn” statute, 15 U.S.C. § 6851. Enacted in 2022, this powerful law allows victims of…
Thanks to recent changes in federal law, victims of nonconsensual intimate image distribution—commonly known as revenge porn—can now pursue justice through civil lawsuits anonymously. Under 15 U.S.C. § 6851, which was enacted as part of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization of 2022, victims can sue for damages without revealing their identity publicly. 15…
In a tragic case that underscores the growing danger of digital exploitation, a Nigerian man has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with the suicide of 17-year-old Gavin Guffey, the son of South Carolina State Representative Brandon Guffey. Gavin took his own life in July 2022 after being targeted in…
Revenge Porn Now Illegal Nationwide: All 50 States, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam Enact Laws By Revengepornvictims.com | May 30, 2025 In a landmark move for digital privacy and victim protection, South Carolina has enacted House Bill H.3058, criminalizing the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, commonly known as “revenge porn.” This legislation marks the…