Damages Awarded to Colorado Woman Under New ‘Revenge Porn’ Law

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A Denver, Colo., judge awarded $40,000 to a woman after a man she dated sent a sexually-explicit video of her to her estranged husband.

The woman’s attorney says it is the first trial victory under Colorado’s “revenge porn” law.

The decision on Aug. 3 in favor of Kristina Hendershott was issued under a 2019 law that allows victims to sue for damages if someone intentionally sends an explicit image or video of them without their consent, said Hendershott’s attorney, Malissa Williams.

Judge Christopher Baumann said in his ruling that he could not find any other trial verdicts under the 2019 “revenge porn” statute, Williams said.

“This certainly gets the word out that victims have civil recourse when intimate images are sent without their consent,” Williams said.

In July 2019, the man stole from Hendershott’s phone an old video of her engaging in sexual conduct with another man, Hendershott told The Denver Post.

The man, who was not identified by the Post, then sent the video to Hendershott’s estranged husband because he was jealous, she said.

In 2018, lawmakers passed a bill that made it easier to charge people with revenge porn. In 2019, the state senate passed a bill that closed civil law loopholes.