Texas Jury Awards Revenge-Porned Woman Half a Mil

HOUSTON, Texas—Texas does not currently have a law against so-called “revenge porn,” but that did not stop a Houston woman from suing her ex for plastering their supposedly private moments on the internet, and winning. Not only did she win, but according to the local ABC News affiliate, the half-million-dollar civil penalty awarded “Rosie” earlier this month by a Harris County jury was the “largest revenge porn verdict in the country.” The verdict will be appealed, according to the lawyer for the ex-boyfriend of the woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, but now state legislators are planning to introduce a bill outlawing the practice. “Two state lawmakers are working on a bill that would make revenge porn illegal in Texas,” reported KGO-TV, “but critics say criminalizing it may violate the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.” Passing such a law may be tough in Texas at the moment, but people now know that the courts, though often very time-consuming and frustrating, can provide relief in the form of very healthy awards.