Westfield teen victimized by AI-generated nude images hires Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawyer

The Westfield High School student whose AI-generated nude images were posted online last fall has gone to federal court to sue her classmate who allegedly shared them.

The parents of the girl, identified only as Jane Doe to protect her identity, filed suit against the boy, identified only by his initials, after the Westfield Police Department notified them on Jan. 24 that no criminal charges would be filed.

The lawsuit contends that the facts gathered by Westfield High School could not be used "to support the investigation" because the boy and other potential witnesses "failed to cooperate with, speak to or provide access to their electronic devices."

In the lawsuit, Shane Vogt, the Florida attorney representing the girl, wrote that victims of "nonconsensual" pornography are "not only harmed and violated by the creation of such images, but they are also haunted for the rest of their lives by knowing that they were and likely will continue to be exploited for the sexual gratification of others."

Vogt also argued that the posting of the images results "in a sense of hopelessness and perpetual fear that at any time such images can reappear and be viewed by countless others, possibly even their friends, family members, future partners and employers, or the public at large."

Vogt is a high-profile, nationally known First Amendment attorney who represented Sarah Palin in her libel suit against The New York Times.

More: Tech giants pledge crackdown on 2024 election AI deepfakes. Will they keep their promise?

He also represented Terry Bollea, better known as professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, who sued Gawker for posting portions of a sex tape. A jury awarded Bollea $140 million in compensatory and punitive damages which resulted in Gawker filing for bankruptcy.

The girl is seeking $150,000 for each of the nude images which were posted. The lawsuit does not state how many.

The case, which has generated international media attention and prompted U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., to cosponsor the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, came to light in October when school officials notified the girl's parents that she was a "confirmed victim" of pornography being circulated.

The lawsuit alleges the boy downloaded images of the girl taken when she was 14 and several other girls from social media sites.

He then used an artificial intelligence app, believed to be ClothesOff, to "undress" the clothing from the girl and others and then post the manufactured images through Snapchat, the suit alleges.

The images, because of the girl's age, constituted child pornography, the lawsuit argues, and are not protected by the First Amendment.

Other than the boy, there are no other defendants named in the suit.

In court papers that preview the legal battle ahead, Christopher Adams, the boy's attorney, argues there are no state or federal laws that regulate or prohibit the "deepfake" images the girl's attorney alleges are child pornography.

But Vogt and John Gulyas, the girl's local attorney, argue in response that Adams' client "expresses no remorse or accountability" and that the images are "illegal and actionable 'morphed' pornography."

"The nude images of Jane Doe are not 'fake' and it does not matter whether they are 'computer generated,'" the lawyers argue.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ teen victimized by AI-generated nude images hires Hulk Hogan lawyer