Without My Consent

Programs: Project:50-state projectvictims in digital domestic abuse cases want to know if: (1) they can sue the perpetrator(s) and/or report the abuse to law enforcement, (2) bringing suit would exacerbate their injuries given that litigation records could appear online, and (3) the court system would permit them to sue under a pseudonym. The 50-state project will be a concise yet comprehensive resource answering these questions for every state (as well as for the federal courts) so that these questions are no longer barriers to the pursuit of civil and criminal remedies. Project:something can be done! Guidethe something can be done! Guide delivered in an faq-styled template to wmcs resources page will describe legal strategies to combat non-consensual distribution of nude photos in small claims, family, state, and federal courts. This project will serve digital abuse victims because we have cutting edge information to share short cuts and tricks of the trade that should help make revenge porn remedies obtainable by ordinary people, not just celebrities and those who can spend six figures litigating against a judgment-proof defendant. The defendants in digital domestic abuse cases are usually low income or judgment proof; spending money (which we have seen can exceed $60,000) to litigate rarely makes sense for victims. For too long, victims have been told nothing can be done at every turn. And that is simply untrue. Wmc wants victims and their supporters to know everything that can be done on every level to combat non-consensual porn. Project:lawyer training programwithout my consent will develop and teach a half-day workshop on non-consensual porn law. The workshop will cover:civil law and how to tee up a criminal case: we will use actual cases, hypotheticals, and practitioner documents to take the participants through a complicated non-consensual porn scenario that draws on expertise related to complaint drafting, restraining orders against online abuse, the filing of pseudonymous civil suits, the unmasking of anonymous defendants, the application of copyright law, and the role of intermediaries. We will teach attendees how to tee up a criminal case and how the civil and criminal sides can work together to support each others work. The course will include practice pointers on working with victims, setting expectations about the legal process, and understanding the ethical issues in digital abuse cases. How to work with intermediaries to facilitate takedowns: the course will include the most current information on how tech companies and law enforcement work together to facilitate takedowns. Criminal law: the course will include sample subpoenas, applications for search warrants, and possibly scripts/role play regarding the exploitation of nude photos in cases investigated and prosecuted in real life. Wmcs training will be national in scope. Wmc welcomes and will seek out opportunities to work with law enforcement and prosecutors to collaborate on these trainings. In the future, wmc may seek additional funding to develop train the trainer workshops so our lawyer training program can be scaled to jurisdictions across the country.