But Chad Belville, Lockhart’s Arizona-based attorney, told XBiz that Cobra’s request for a deposition “has no force of law because no lawsuit has been filed.”
XBiz first learned about the dispute in September, after Belville notified Cobra and distributor Pacific Sun Entertainment that Lockhart was claiming he had been only 17 years old at the time he shot content for Cobra and that he had falsified his identification in order to work in adult films.
The Free Speech Coalition and ASACP jointly issued a warning to the adult entertainment community recommending that all companies remove any content that Lockhart may have appeared in and seal the materials. However, the validity of Lockhart’s claim remains unconfirmed because, as Belville points out in his rebuttal, “[Lockhart] has never provided Cobra Video with a legitimate photo ID.”
One of Cobra’s demands in its deposition request was for Lockhart to bring a certified copy of his birth certificate.
“Lockhart has objected to all legal attempts by Cobra Video to get a certified copy of his birth certificate,” the press release stated. The company said in a previous press release that it has “color copies of the three state-issued forms of identification that Mr. Lockhart presented, including a birth certificate, all indicating a birth year of 1985.”
In a written rebuttal to Cobra’s press release, Belville called Cobra’s request a “fishing expedition,” adding that “Cobra delivered a powerless piece of paper demanding that Brent [Lockhart] fly across the country.”
According to Cobra, authorities have not contacted the company in regard to the matter.