Representing Victims of Revenge Pornography

“Revenge Porn”  is the nonconsensual publication or sharing of sexual images or videos, a topic that has received a great deal of attention in the media and in the courthouse. Often, lawyers who are asked by victims for help in getting the unwanted content removed from social media sites and from the hands of private parties will find that their state has no express prohibition against the activity. Websites may assert First Amendment rights to publish the images or videos they received. Law enforcement agencies often do not take the complaint seriously, especially if the victims took the images or videos themselves and shared it with a trusted partner who then re-published them without permission. This course will help you answer your clients’ questions about what can be done and will provide concrete methods to obtain relief on behalf of your clients.

Join Oscar Michelen, a New York litigator who has helped dozens of Revenge Porn victims. One of the few attorneys who takes on these kinds of cases, Mr. Michelen guides you through the tactics that have worked for him in the past, as well as provides information on which States do and do not offer specific legislative protection for victims of Revenge Porn. He also highlights the various means to help victims in states without specific legislative protection.    

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify the various forms of Revenge Porn and how the nature of the material affects the legal strategy
2. Learn which States have Revenge Porn laws in place, and what lawyers can do for their clients in states that do not have such laws
3. Understand what kind of advice and assistance lawyers can provide if the victim is being harmed by publication of an image or video to which they consented or filmed themselves
4. Articulate how to use copyright law and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to obtain relief for your clients