U.S. Judge Orders Joe Francis Jailed

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak has ordered "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis to turn himself in to authorities by noon CDT today to begin serving jail time for contempt of court.

In 2003, Francis was sued by seven underage girls who appeared in his "Girls Gone Wild" videos, and Smoak had ordered the two sides to participate in a two-day mediation. However, after a three-minute profanity-laced outburst made by Francis on March 21, Smoak found him to be in contempt of court, stating Francis had made it clear he had not intended to abide by the judge's mediation order.

Smoak then ordered Francis to be jailed until the two sides could "mediate in good faith," and to pay the girls 75 percent of the legal fees pertaining to the future mediation.

However, Smoak rescinded his order Saturday after learning Francis had not only mediated with the plaintiffs, but also made a settlement offer. The girls accepted the agreement, only to find out Tuesday that Francis had drastically changed his the deal.

The plaintiffs' lawyer, D. Ross McCloy, said the offer seemed to be completely different from the original and that it was unacceptable. The new offer included paying the plaintiffs using a payment plan, which would have taken years to complete, rather than in a lump sum.

Smoak now has given Francis until noon CDT today to turn himself in to Panama City authorities and begin his original jail sentence, which would last until a "meaningful mediation" takes place, and the amount of money Francis must pay to the plaintiffs has been increased to cover legal work done between Friday and Tuesday.

Smoak had no comment as to whether the original sentence would be increased if Francis fails to turn himself in on time.

Adult attorney Lawrence Walters told XBIZ that if Francis fails to appear in Panama City today, he would receive a second charge of contempt of court and a bench warrant for his arrest would be issued.

"He would be a wanted fugitive, basically," Walters said.

A representative for Francis said he has no information until later today, when he will likely release a statement.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Nadia Jay Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Nadia Jay stars with Mick Blue in the latest release from Brazzers, titled "Fucking the Bath Voyeur."

Tommy Gunn Reflects on His Legendary Past as He Looks to the Future

Tommy Gunn is wearing an eyepatch. It’s not an homage to the classic "Pirates" porn parody franchise, in which Gunn takes on the Johnny Depp role. The eyepatch is a temporary measure to help him deal with a nerve palsy that came out of nowhere several years ago and affects his vision from time to time. Gunn needs his vision. As one of the adult industry’s longest-serving male stars, he still has plenty to look forward to.

Rocco Siffredi Directs New Rebel Rhyder Showcase

Evil Angel has released Rocco Siffredi’s Rebel Rhyder showcase title, "Rebel Meets Rebel."

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Shalina Devine Toplines 'Thr3e #7' From Dorcel

Shalina Devine headlines the latest release from Dorcel, titled "Thr3e #7."

Chloe Amour Headlines 'Unfaithful Betrayal 3' From Bellesa Films

Chloe Amour toplines the third volume of “Unfaithful Betrayal” from Bellesa Films.

Misty Addams Makes Her WIFEY Debut

Misty Addams stars with husband Island Boy Brandon and 2024 XMA Europas Male Performer of the Year Christian Clay in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint WIFEY.

Pastelle Makes Her TransAngels Debut

Pastelle has made her TransAngels debut alongside Ali Rush in "Royal Sucksession."

Show More