‘A judge ruled that my naked body was in the public interest’: Fmr. Congresswoman bankrupt after failed ‘revenge porn’ lawsuit

Former Representative Katie Hill filed for bankruptcy after her lawsuit against the Daily Mail and two reporters was dismissed.

The Democratic representative from California was forced to resign in 2019, after nude photos of her were leaked and published by the Daily Mail. The racy photos showed the naughty gal smoking a bong, as well as kissing a woman. Her resignation was prompted by a House Ethics investigation into allegations that she was engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a House staffer.

Hill denied the allegations, but admitted that she had had a consensual relationship with a campaign staffer. Following the scandal, Hill decided to file a lawsuit against the British tabloid, the website Red State (which originally published the images), and the two journalists involved in acquiring the salacious material, Jennifer Van Laar and Joe Messina.

Unfortunately, it was a risky gamble, and it didn’t pay off. The court ruled against Hill, who owes almost $275,000 in attorneys’ fees to the four parties in the suit, on top of the $100,000 owed to her own lawyers, according to Radar Online.

Talk about a tough break.

Given the hefty fees she owes, it’s no wonder that Hill filed for bankruptcy earlier this week, citing her inability to cover the costs and the damage the fees will do to her finances.

“It’s a broken system where a plaintiff’s sensible use of our legal system to adjudicate fundamental breaches to their sexual privacy results in such financially punishing consequences for daring to file a legal case that bankruptcy is the last resort,” Hill’s lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, told the LA Times.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Hill announced that she felt she was being “let down by our legal system.”

“Victims of cyber exploitation are being let down by our legal system, and I have gotten an, unfortunately, personal look at the damage that can do,” she added. “When a vengeful person, political opponents, and a global tabloid conspired to take and publish naked photos of me—including those taken without my knowledge or consent—a judge ruled that my naked body was in the public interest, and that I had no right to hold accountable those responsible for this assault to my privacy and dignity.”

“I incurred substantial financial loss to fight this case because I believe it was my responsibility to do so to try to protect future victims of cyber exploitation,” Hill continued. “The consequences for me personally meant that I had to recently file bankruptcy. Still, I don’t regret doing so, despite the severe and lasting financial repercussions of the offensive and just plain wrong ruling.”

Hill has also called for a “federal cyber exploitation law to protect victims who are currently left to personally fight attacks and abuse without a legal system to support them.”

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