Sask. court awards $160K in first civil 'revenge porn' case
A Saskatchewan woman has been awarded $160,000 after she successfully sued a former partner for sharing intimate images of her online.
The woman’s name cannot be released due to a publication ban. However, her former partner Daylan Heidel already pleaded guilty to sharing images of the woman, and other women without their consent between January 2015 and July 2019.
He was sentenced to jail time on criminal charges.
Heidel distributed images and videos of the plaintiff on pornographic websites such as Pornhub, actions which the victim called in her claim "highly invasive, degrading and morally damaging."
In 2018, the Saskatchewan government changed the province's privacy act to allow victims of "revenge porn," the act of sharing intimate images without consent, to sue for compensation.
The legislation intended to allow victims to seek reimbursement through small claims court.
Her lawyer in the case, Sean Sinclair, said this was the first successful case of its kind in the province.
“This appears to be the first decision that involves the non-consensual distribution of intimate images or videos like this where a person has been successfully sued for distributing materials online in this manner,” he told CTV News.
“This tells people that there are significant repercussions to acting in this manner that you can, first of all, be incarcerated for it. But in addition to that, also be sued for it. And for quite a lot of money, potentially. It is a serious offence. It has lasting implications for the victim,” Sinclair said.
“I think it also has a message for victims that the court systems have a means of potentially addressing these kinds of issues and will give victims a voice to address these matters. And hopefully, allow them some measure of redress even if it doesn't fix all the issues for them.”
Sinclair said his client demonstrated resilience and courage by bringing her case forward.
“It's very hard to speak about and certainly to speak about publicly, in a court hearing is very challenging,” he said. “She's been quite remarkable in how she's approached this.”
-with files from Saron Fanel
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.