HOUSTON — Revenge porn may still be legal in Texas, but it doesn’t mean you can get away with it.
A woman in Houston was awarded $500,000 this month by a Harris County judge in a revenge porn lawsuit she brought against her ex after he began posting her nude photos and videos all over the Internet.
The caveat? She framed her suit as a civil case, rather than a criminal one, to circumvent the fact that there are no laws governing revenge porn in the lone star state.
And, at half a million bucks, the settlement is reportedly the largest in revenge porn history.
The woman, who spoke to ABC under the pseudonym Rosie, explained how the situation with her now-ex went awry after their seven-year long distance affair came to an end: “He started threatening me, blackmailing me with the pictures and video, which I didn't know he recorded.”
“He would update me on how many people had seen it, or downloaded it,” she said. “It's humiliating. It's devastating.”
Some local media outlets believe that the case may signal a sea change for the state, potentially expediting the criminalization of the relatively new form of cyber harassment. Two Texas legislators are already crafting a bill similar to those that were passed in New Jersey and California.
