The first person sentenced to jail under California’s new revenge porn law was sued today in Los Angeles by his ex-girlfriend, who alleges he made her contemplate suicide by posting numerous derogatory statements about her online, as well as intimate photos.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, alleges defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, public disclosure of private facts, false light invasion of privacy and gender violence.
She’s seeking unspecified damages from Noe Alejandro Iniguez, who could not be immediately reached for comment on the Los Angeles Superior Court suit.
Iniguez, 36, was sentenced in December to a year in jail. He also was placed on 36 months probation and ordered to undergo domestic violence counseling after being found guilty of three criminal counts filed by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
Aside from the state revenge porn statute, he had two restraining order violations. His ex-girlfriend had already secured a restraining order against him when he sent her harassing text messages after they broke up.
California’s revenge porn law, which was enacted in October 2013, forbids people from posting sexually oriented photos online with the intent to cause emotional harm.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff and Iniguez were in a four-year relationship that ended in 2011. She allowed him to take intimate photos of her during the time they were together, “trusting and believing that these were for his viewing only as her significant other,” according to her lawsuit.
After the two broke up, Iniguez began sending the woman a high-volume of harassing emails, “repeatedly telling her he is going to sleep with her sister (and) calling her a liar .. and even sending photos of his (private parts),” her suit alleges.
“These emails at one point were a daily occurrence,” according to the plaintiff.
In July 2013, Iniguez posted a Facebook message in which he called the woman and her newborn daughter “ugly” and “whores,” the suit says.
Three months later, Iniguez posted on the woman’s employer’s Facebook page a message that said she was “(impolite) and treats people like animals on the phone,” according to her court papers. Another posting on the same Facebook page stated, “Works well, but please fire the drunk and slut,” the suit says.
Iniguez also posted sexually explicit photos of the plaintiff on her church’s website, damaging her reputation and causing her to stop attending, and sent sexually explicit photos of her to her boyfriend, who is the father of her child, the suit says.
The verbal assaults have left the plaintiff with severe mental distress that has caused her to lose sleep and have suicidal thoughts, according to her court papers, which say her professional job development also has been negatively affected.
