Combating Child Pornography Press Conference – January 6, 2010

By Patrick Noaker

http://www.andersonadvocates.com/ViewFile.aspx?ID=352


Attorney Jeff Anderson, Advocate Cordelia Anderson, Therapist Walter Bera, Advocate Bob Schwiderski and Attorney Patrick Noaker conducted a press conference on using the civil justice system to combat child pornography. Child pornography is a multi-billion industry and among the fastest growing criminal segments on the internet. There is a significant disparity between the 80,000 plus reports of child pornography per year and the approximately 1,400 federal prosecutions for child pornography. The participants in this press conference discussed the significance of this disparity and the limitations of criminal justice restitution remedies. As an alternative, the participants recommended using law known as “Masha’s Law” to bring a civil claim for child pornography which allows victims to file a civil lawsuit in federal district court against anyone who produced, distributed or possessed any sexually explicit images of him or her. The victim can recover actual damages of no less than $150,000 along with attorneys’ fees and costs of the suit.

What are your thoughts about allowing victims of child pornography to bring a civil suit against everyone who creates, distributes or even downloads the victim’s image. Do you think that it will be beneficial to have hundreds of civil attorneys joining law enforcement in combating child pornography or do you think that allowing civil lawyers to bring more lawsuits will only complicate an already complex problem? Is it possible that civil cases will help expose a horrendous problem and get help for those who have been injured, like the thousands of cases involving sexual abuse by clergy?