Revenge Porn Lawyers NYC: Fighting for Victims of Non-Consensual Pornography

Have you been a victim of revenge porn in New York City? We understand the devastating impact this crime can have on your life, and we're here to help. Revenge porn, also known as nonconsensual pornography or image-based sexual abuse, can cause immense emotional distress, damage your reputation, and disrupt your personal and professional life. But you don't have to suffer in silence. Our experienced revenge porn lawyers in NYC at Veridian Legal are dedicated to fighting for your rights and helping you seek justice.

What is Revenge Porn in New York?

Revenge porn, a subset of non-consensual pornography or image based sexual abuse, is a serious crime in New York. It involves the sharing or threatened sharing of intimate images or videos without the consent of the person depicted. This is a devastating form of online abuse and a violation of privacy. In New York, this is a crime and a civil wrong, and victims have legal recourse.

Revenge porn can take many forms in New York:

• Sharing nude or sexually explicit photos or videos without consent.

• Threatening to distribute such content.

• Sharing images or videos of a sexual act without consent.

• Distributing intimate images or videos taken by the victim or a third party.

• Sharing "deepfakes" or manipulated images.

Even if you initially consented to taking the images or videos, sharing them without your current consent is illegal and constitutes revenge porn in New York. The crucial factor is the lack of consent for distribution.

Revenge porn can happen in various ways in New York. Common platforms where this occurs include social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), messaging apps (Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram), file-sharing services, pornographic websites (Pornhub, xHamster, etc.), and text message.

If you believe you are a victim of revenge porn in New York, it is crucial to consult with an experienced attorney to understand your rights and legal options.

Protecting Yourself: Immediate Steps to Take if You are a Victim of Revenge Porn

If you are a victim of revenge porn in New York City, we understand this is a deeply distressing and violating experience. Taking immediate action to preserve evidence is crucial, both for your emotional well-being and for any potential legal action you may choose to pursue. This evidence will be vital if you decide to report the crime to law enforcement or work with our revenge porn lawyers in NYC to file a civil lawsuit or family offense petition. Here are the steps you should take:

1. Document Everything:

• Take screenshots of the website or platform where the images appear. Be sure to capture the entire webpage, including the URL. Remember that screenshots alone may not be sufficient, as they often don't capture crucial information like the full URL or website metadata. Saving the webpage as a PDF is a more reliable method.

• Save the webpage as a PDF. This will preserve the content and the URL in a more reliable format.

• If possible, use a tool to capture the entire webpage, even if it requires scrolling.

• Do not delete the original content, even if it's upsetting. This is crucial evidence.

2. Download Communications:

• Save any text messages, emails, or social media conversations with the person who shared or threatened to share the images.

• Use a reliable method to download and back up these communications.

• If you're unsure how to do this, our revenge porn lawyers in NYC can guide you through the process.

3. Perform Reverse Image Searches:

• Use Google Images or other reverse image search tools to find other instances of the image online.

• This can help you identify where else the images have been shared.

• Keep a record of all the websites where you find the images. If possible, preserve these websites.

4. Keep a Detailed Log:

• Document all actions you take regarding the images, including dates, times, and who you contacted.

• This will be helpful for your case and for your own records.

5. Securely Store Evidence:

• Save all evidence in a secure location, such as a password-protected folder or external hard drive.

• Consider using encrypted storage for added security.

What Not To Do

• Don't contact the abuser: The person putting your images online is already breaking the law, don’t put yourself in a position of having more contact with a criminal.

• Don't contact website administrators directly: While it's tempting to try to get the images removed yourself, it's best to let your attorney or a third party handle this. They have the legal expertise to ensure it's done correctly and in a way which will ensure evidence is preserved and protect your identity.

• Don't blame yourself: Remember, you are the victim of a crime. You are not to blame for what happened.

The more evidence you gather, the stronger your case will be if you decide to pursue legal action. If you have any questions or need assistance with preserving evidence, don't hesitate to contact our experienced revenge porn lawyers in NYC for a free and confidential consultation.

Removing Revenge Porn from the Internet in New York

Once you have preserved the evidence, there are steps you can take to try to get the revenge porn removed from websites and search results. This can be a complex process, so it's often best to seek legal assistance from a New York law firm experienced in this area. However, here are some initial actions you can consider:

1. Contact Website Administrators

   Many websites and social media platforms have policies against non-consensual pornography. You can contact their administrators and request that the content be removed. Be prepared to provide evidence that the images were shared without your consent.

2. File DMCA Takedown Notices

   The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides a legal process for removing copyrighted material from websites. If you own the copyright to the intimate images, you can file a DMCA takedown notice with the website hosting the content. This notice requires them to remove the content or face legal action.

3. Submit a Google Removal Request

   Google allows you to request the removal of intimate images that have been shared without your consent. You can find the removal request form on Google's website. Be prepared to provide evidence and explain why the content should be removed.

It's important to act quickly to remove revenge porn from the internet. The longer it remains online, the more likely it is to spread and cause further harm. If you need assistance with removing content or navigating the legal complexities, our experienced revenge porn lawyers in NYC can help.

Filing a Revenge Porn Lawsuit in New York

If you're a victim of revenge porn in New York, filing a lawsuit is one way to seek justice and potentially obtain compensation for the harm caused. As a New York law firm specializing in revenge porn cases, we can help you understand the legal options available to you. New York provides several legal avenues for victims of revenge porn, including:

• New York Civil Rights Law 52-B: This law allows victims to sue for the unauthorized disclosure of intimate images.

• NYC Administrative Code 10-180: This law prohibits the unlawful disclosure of intimate images and provides a basis for legal action in New York City.

• New York Penal Law 245.15: This law criminalizes the unlawful dissemination or publication of an intimate image.

A revenge porn lawsuit can help you achieve several goals:

• Financial Compensation: You may be able to recover damages for emotional distress, lost wages, and legal fees.

• Injunctive Relief: The court can issue an injunction to prevent the perpetrator from further sharing the images.

• Punitive Damages: In some cases, the court may award punitive damages to punish the perpetrator and deter others.

Our experienced revenge porn lawyers in NYC can help you understand your legal options and guide you through the process of filing a lawsuit.

Filing Anonymously in New York

In New York, you have the option of filing a revenge porn lawsuit anonymously. This means that your name will not be publicly associated with the case. This can be crucial for protecting your privacy and preventing further victimization. Our New York revenge porn attorneys can help you file an application to proceed anonymously and ensure that your identity is protected throughout the legal process.

Revenge Porn and Family Court in New York

If you were in an intimate relationship with the perpetrator and are located in New York, you may be able to seek an order of protection in Family Court. This is a private and sealed process that can help prevent further harassment and abuse.

The Family Court Act allows victims of revenge porn to file for a temporary or final order of protection. This order can prohibit the perpetrator from contacting you, sharing your intimate images, or coming near you. Violating an order of protection can result in criminal charges.

Our attorneys have extensive experience in Family Court and can help you navigate the process of obtaining an order of protection.

Understanding Revenge Porn in Different Contexts

Revenge porn can manifest in various ways, each with its own set of challenges and legal implications. Here are some common scenarios we handle:

• Non-Consensual Image Sharing on Social Media: Perpetrators may share intimate images on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter without consent. This can lead to rapid dissemination and significant emotional distress. Our revenge porn lawyers in NYC can help you get the content removed and pursue legal action against those responsible.

• Non-Consensual Pornography on Adult Websites: In some cases, perpetrators upload non-consensual images or videos to adult websites like Pornhub or XHamster, exposing victims to public humiliation and unwanted attention. We can assist with takedown requests and legal action to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable.

• Revenge Porn in the Workplace: Sharing intimate images with coworkers or supervisors can have severe professional and emotional consequences. We can help address workplace violations, remove harmful content, and pursue both civil and employment law remedies.

• Revenge Porn to Family: Sharing intimate images with loved ones is an unfortunate tool that abusers use to threaten and humiliate their victims or induce them to act a certain way. Unfortunately, family members all too often delete content once it is received. Our office is skilled at restoring content, where possible, to provide you with strong evidentiary footing if you decide to pursue a lawsuit.

• Revenge Porn in Schools and Colleges: This growing problem involves students sharing intimate images of classmates without consent, often leading to bullying, harassment, and emotional distress. We can help students and their families navigate these complex situations, pursue legal action against perpetrators, and work with school administrators to address the issue.

Other Forms of Online Harassment

Revenge porn is often part of a larger pattern of online harassment and abuse. Here are some other forms of online harassment that our New York attorneys can help you with:

Cyberstalking in New York

Cyberstalking involves using electronic communications to harass, intimidate, or threaten someone. This can include:

• Sending repeated unwanted messages

• Making threats online

• Posting false or harmful information about someone

• Tracking someone's online activity

• Using social media to harass or intimidate

Online Harassment in New York

Online harassment is a broader term that encompasses any form of unwanted or abusive behavior online. This can include:

• Cyberbullying

• Hate speech

• Doxing (revealing someone's personal information online)

• Trolling

• Flaming (online insults and personal attacks)

Sextortion and Blackmail in New York

Sextortion is a form of blackmail that often overlaps with revenge porn. It involves threatening to share intimate images or videos of you unless you provide something of value, typically money or sexual favors. Intimate images, naked photographs, sex tapes, and nude selfies are often the basis for sextortion.

Harassment and Revenge Porn in New York

New York's harassment laws prohibit activities designed to harass, annoy, threaten, or alarm a person. It is not uncommon for a perpetrator of revenge porn to use intimate images to harass his or her victim.

Unlawful Surveillance and Revenge Porn in New York

Some revenge porn laws require that you give the Defendant your images. If someone obtains an image or images of the sexual or other intimate parts of another person or persons unlawfully and then shares them, they can be guilty of a different law: Penal Law § 250.55, Dissemination of an Unlawful Surveillance Image in the Second Degree.

A person can be guilty of Penal Law § 250.45(1), Unlawful Surveillance in the Second Degree where an ex-partner or any other third party for his or her own amusement, entertainment, or profit, or for the purpose of degrading or abusing a person uses or installs a recording device at a place and time when the victim expects privacy.

Revenge Porn Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Resources for Victims

• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)

• The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI)

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

• National Domestic Violence Hotline