Legal Question in Personal Injury in California

Posted photos and no consent

I had taken nude photos of a woman

and they were stored on my

computer. She gave full consent and

we agreed on nothing. The computer

crashed and was then sold. The

photos ended up on the internet

without my consent or hers. She

wants to sue me because I had

owned the computer prior to the

sale. What can she do? What can I

do? The computer buyer/poster of

the photos is unknown.


Asked on 10/29/08, 4:22 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Michael Stone Law Offices of Michael B. Stone Toll Free 1-855-USE-MIKE

Re: Posted photos and no consent

What an interesting legal question.

Did you have a legal duty to smash the hard drive with a sledgehammer or otherwise destroy the data before selling the "crashed" computer? Or were you negligent in not doing so? If you did have a legal duty, did the fact that the computer "crashed" prevent you from taking reasonable care to delete the files or to format the hard drive before selling? Are you somehow responsible for the poster's intervening wrong in putting the material on the internet? My best guess is you will win any lawsuit, but whoever loses will appeal.

If you are sued, call your homeowners' or renters' insurance carrier, they should provide you with a free lawyer.

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Answered on 10/29/08, 2:45 pm
Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

Re: Posted photos and no consent

She 'can' do anything she likes: sue, file criminal charges, etc. If she does, hire an attorney to defend you. You are facing a foreseeable consequence of your behavior, even if you only now realize it is an 'unintended consequence'. I won't give you a morality lecture, but you should think through the 'right vs wrong' and risks of anything you propose doing. The court system is filled with people spending money on lawyers after doing something unwise or worse. There is a famous cartoon showing two guys sitting in a jail cell, with one guy saying to the other, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

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Answered on 10/29/08, 5:55 pm


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