‘A Judge Ruled That My Naked Body Was in the Public Interest’: Former Rep. Katie Hill Bankrupt After Revenge Porn Suit
MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images
Former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) has been bankrupted by a dismissed lawsuit against the Daily Mail and two other reporters after nude photos of her leaked, which resulted in her 2019 resignation.
Hill resigned during a House Ethics investigation. She was alleged to have engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a House staffer.
She denied the affair but admitted to a consensual relationship with a campaign staffer.
The Daily Mail published leaked nude images of Hill smoking a bong and kissing a woman. She sued the outlet and two conservative reporters, but a judge ruled against her.
She was ordered to pay attorney fees totaling roughly $220,000.
In a tweet Tuesday, Hill announced she would file for bankruptcy and also expressed 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. My thoughts below: pic.twitter.com/XuQq3ZqgWR
— Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) July 12, 2022
In a broader statement, Hill wrote, “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. 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 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.”
