A New Jersey teen is suing a classmate for allegedly creating and circulating Al-generated pornographic images of her and other female students. According to the federal lawsuit, a male classmate used an “Al application or website” to alter photos of the 15-year-old, whom authorities identified as Jane Doe.
Also, he shared racy images of other female classmates at Westfield High School. The suit, filed in the United States District Court of New Jersey, claims the culprit shared the photos on Instagram. Jane Doe and the other girls had clothes on in all the images.
However, the male student used an Al-backed application to create new images that made the girls appear nude. Also, the lawsuit said their faces remained easily identifiable. The lawsuit claims, “These nude photos of Jane Doe and other minor girls are virtually indistinguishable from real, unaltered photos.”
Furthermore, the lawsuit says the classmate who made the images shared the edited photos with classmates and “possibly others.” He allegedly shared them using the Internet and Snapchat to distribute them during the summer of 2023.
ALSO READ: North Carolina Mom Sues Pharmacy for Giving 5-Year-Old Excessive ADHD Medication Dose
Following the lawsuit, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, said their policies prohibit sharing such images. Also, the company claimed that their app could not create such images. “We have zero tolerance for the sexual exploitation of any member of our community,” Snap said in a statement.
According to reports, Jane Doe and her family learned about the images in October 2023. The student’s Union County High School in New Jersey contacted the unidentified parents. The suit says the school’s assistant principal claimed officials were aware of the images.
Also, the assistant principal confirmed that Jane Doe was a “victim” after a student alerted officials about seeing nude photos of Jane Doe. Afterward, the defendant’s father contacted Jane Doe’s parents, according to the lawsuit.
Jane Doe’s parents “immediately cooperated with an investigation launched by the Westfield Police Department.” However, the authorities could not pursue charges because they could not use the information gathered by school officials in the investigation.
In addition, the lawsuit claims that the defendant and other potential witnesses failed to cooperate with law enforcement. Also, it claims they refused to speak to or provide access to their electronic devices. Hence, the lawsuit says authorities could not determine how widely the culprit shared the photos.
ALSO READ: North Carolina Woman Sues School for Kicking Her Homeless Children Out of Class
“Victims of child and nonconsensual pornography in which their actual faces appear, including Jane Doe,” the lawsuit said. “Are haunted for the rest of their lives by knowing that they were and likely will continue to be exploited for the sexual gratification of others.”
In addition, the lawsuit claims Jane Doe “suffered and will continue to suffer substantial” reputational and psychological harm. Also, it claims she has suffered “substantial emotional distress, mental anguish, anxiety, embarrassment, shame, humiliation” since learning about the photos.
Consequently, the lawsuit requests that Jane Doe receive damages of $150,000 for each disclosure of a nude image. However, the court will determine compensatory and punitive damages at trial. Also, the suit requests a temporary restraining order preventing the defendant from sharing Jane Doe’s AI-generated images.
The suit also calls for restricting the defendant from revealing the identity of Jane Doe and her family. Furthermore, the suit requires the defendant to transfer all images to Jane Doe and permanently delete them. In addition, the defendant must destroy any copies of the photos.
Since the use of AI-generated pornographic images soared, several states have passed laws to try to combat its spread. In New Jersey, a bill to ban deepfake pornography and impose a fine for culprits is in the works.
You Might Also Like:
Baltimore Man Bags Decades in Prison After Attacking Asian Business Owners
Victoria Monét Wins Three Grammy Awards Five Months After Getting Rejected by Show Organizers
NY Property Mogul Indicted for $86 Million Theft Amidst Bankruptcy
Moms for Liberty Dissolve Chapter Amid Members’ Weariness
Different Nights, Same Bar: Two Men Allegedly Lose Over $30,000 Each to Robbery
