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Blac Chyna's revenge porn case highlights a power dynamic inherent to many sexual violence cases, legal expert says

Azmi Haroun   

Blac Chyna's revenge porn case highlights a power dynamic inherent to many sexual violence cases, legal expert says
  • Blac Chyna's 'revenge porn' trial against Rob Kardashian is scheduled to begin June 20.
  • A lawyer specializing in sexual violence suits explained the dynamics at play in cases like Chyna's.

Blac Chyna's upcoming "revenge porn" lawsuit against ex-fiancé Rob Kardashian sheds light on a power dynamic inherent to sexual violence cases, a lawyer specializing in victims' rights for sexual violence cases told Insider.

Ahead of a slated June 20 trial in the case, Kardashian's defense has argued that when he posted series of nude photos of his ex-fiancée in July 2017, he posted the photos with her consent and denied that Chyna, whose legal name is Angela White, "had an expectation of privacy in the images," according to court filings.

"He also disputes that his conduct caused Ms. White to sustain any mental pain and suffering, humiliation or emotional distress," his lawyers added.

But an attorney who litigates revenge porn cases stressed that photos like the ones shared of Chyna can be devastating to victims, and reiterated that offenders will often point to a victim's history of posting explicit photos on their own volition – especially for models like Blac Chyna – to excuse their conduct.

"We often analogize these types of harm to other forms of sexual violence," said Hannah Meropol, an associate at C.A. Goldberg, a firm specializing in victim's rights for sexual violence cases in the technological and physical realm.

"Like other forms of sexual violence, the harms inherent in nonconsensual pornography are rooted in someone else, the defendant, asserting control over the victim's body and autonomy," Meropol told Insider.

"It's an extreme privacy violation regardless of other photos, it doesn't matter if a plaintiff may have consensually shared other intimate photos" Meropol added, stressing that Chyna's background as a model is irrelevant.

On July 5, 2017, Chyna secured a temporary restraining order against Kardashian, in which she said he went on an online revenge porn tirade. Kardashian shared a photo of Chyna in the hospital, calling out what he said in the social media posts was a weight loss surgery. In the now-deleted posts, he also shared sexually explicit videos of her along with allegations against Chyna around substance abuse and infidelity, sharing private information.

Meropol said that Chyna will have to show a jury "that Mr. Kardashian knew or should have known that she had a reasonable expectation that the material would remain private."

Chyna's claims were initially attached to a $100 million lawsuit filed in October 2017 against Rob Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner, alleging that they unfairly trash-talked her to E! executives five years ago following her split with Rob Kardashian, and claiming that Rob Kardashian physically and verbally abused her as well.

In May, Rob Kardashian testified that Chyna physically abused him – a testimony that family members including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian took to the stand to defend, forming a united front.

Chyna was awarded zero damages for the defamation and contract interference claims.

But in the second trial, in which Rob Kardashian is the sole defendant, Chyna's revenge porn case seeks damages related to California's civil code 1708.85, a Nonconsensual Pornography Law, as well as for disclosure of private information, invasion of privacy, and emotional distress claims.

Meropol said that in Chyna's case and elsewhere, revenge porn campaigns typically highlight the "overlap between online and offline abuse" for victims in intimate relationships.

And, Meropol added, "where we're having these tech facilitated abuses, those are often not the only types of abuses that are occurring in an intimate relationship."

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