BEAUMONT, Texas — A Texas attorney on Friday plans to file a class-action lawsuit that alleges revenge porn site Texxxan.com has invaded the privacy of at least 26 female plaintiffs.
Beaumont attorney John S. Morgan told XBIZ today that much of the nude content on the site involves stolen content off social networks such as Facebook, as well as photos posted by spurned partners. The site offers explicit photos of local Texas women by region.
"A lot of the women involved in the suit have said that the nude photos were taken without their knowledge — perhaps while they were in college, drunk at the bar, swimming at a lake — and some of the pictures may have come from ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands," Morgan said. "And from what I know, there doesn't appear any documentation as for the ages of the individuals depicted in the pictures."
Morgan said six additional plaintiffs signed onto the lawsuit on Thursday, which will be filed at Orange (Texas) County Court tomorrow. All told there are 26 plaintiffs, and counting.
"I anticipate more to join in the suit," Morgan said. "These are women who have been pushed to the point where they have become emotionally devastated, some have become suicidal. One woman was a teacher who was fired over nude pictures of herself on the site."
The lawsuit targets hosting site GoDaddy, as well as unidentified operators of Texxxan.com and members and subscribers to the site.
It seeks class-action status and asks for an injunction — temporary and permanent — actual and punitive damages and attorneys fees.
The suit seeks to punish Texxxan.com's operators for their "cowardly conduct that is intended to cause harm and severe distress to these plaintiffs," according to court papers.
The "Revenge porn" or "involuntary porn" genre has picked up steam in the past two years because of its huge traffic base. Texxxan.com appears to rely only on premium memberships and local escort advertising for its revenue.