Revenge Porn Lawsuit
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1 in 25 people have been a victim of revenge porn. It goes up to 1 in 8 for Americans on social media. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. If you are one of these people and were not able to do anything before, you can do something now by supporting my case. My victory will also be your victory.
Hello Friends!
I finally have decided to do a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for my lawsuit against my revenge pornographers for (among other claims) invasion of privacy and unauthorized access to computer systems. One of the defendants has hired an experienced lawyer who has had more than 100 trials, according to his website, so our chances are not good, even though the facts are on our side.
The reasons why I think it is important to continue with the lawsuit rather than drop it:
If we drop it, then there will be no record of the defendants' actions and if they face no consequences, they can continue to harm other people. Two of the defendants have been accused of physical assault, sexual assault, and child abuse. The Santa Clara D.A. decided not to prosecute those cases, so without a conviction or jury verdict, they can continue to gaslight victims and claim their own innocence.
Two of the defendants, let's call them "Stanford Employee" and "Uber Contractor" are not innocent (and they know it), since they both pleaded the Fifth in response to our lawsuit, both in sworn affidavits and in person at their hearing.
Asserting one's right against self-incrimination, colloquially referred to as "Taking the Fifth", is refusing to provide testimony or information that a defendant believes may incriminate him or her. You probably have heard that President Trump's lawyer took the Fifth in federal court in response to Stormy Daniel's civil lawsuit. "The mob takes the Fifth," said President Trump. "If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?"
The third defendant, let's call them "SF Millionaire" did not plead the Fifth but (in the answer to the complaint) did NOT deny the allegation of invasion of privacy, instead asserting the defense that we are partly responsible for it because of our "intentional misconduct." Except, strangely, they didn't countersue or provide any evidence of this supposed "intentional misconduct" in their response.
Both Stanford Employee and Uber Contractor have incomes greater than mine, according to public financial records and statements made in open court. My co-plaintiff is a single parent with a special needs child, and drives a 13-year-old car. I take the bus. My defendants live in a luxury complex in Silicon Valley that has its own private lake.
Even though this is a lawsuit, this isn't about money. It is about holding offenders accountable for their abusive, and at times criminal, actions. If we can't get justice through the criminal system, then we can at least try to get lifetime injunctions (civil restraining orders) and we promise to donate any money that we win in this case to charity or non-profits so that we can pay it forward and help other victims. (Our current plan is to donate any settlement or jury award to National Domestic Violence Hotline and American Cancer Society.)
I know that many of you might not be able to donate money, but still want to support us, so you can do the following things instead:
1. If you are a lawyer who is licensed to practice in the state of California, and you will generously donate some time to work with our lawyers, to reduce costs, please contact me. The Civil Rights Legal Fund is currently reviewing our case, but we don't know if they will choose to help us. Any legal help is appreciated!
2. Contact your favorite reporters or publications to tell them to report this story. Write letters to the editor if you live in the Bay Area. Stanford Employee has been criminally investigated twice (and is a civil defendant in a case) for assault, extortion and child abduction but the only news article you will find in the local paper is the one which lists a finishing time in a race (first place, congrats, but I'm not linking to it here). Very recently, another athlete and Stanford-affiliated offender, Brock Turner, was covered favorably by the media . Let's not keep making the same mistake.
UPDATE: On May 5, 2018, Palo Alto Patch wrote about the case and also linked to the GoFundMe campaign: Stanford Employee To Stand Trial for Revenge Porn
3. Contact the Santa Clara D.A. to inquire about the criminal investigation. If this case had been prosecuted in 2016, we would not have had to spend our own money for this lawsuit to get justice against the perpetrators. Also, Stanford Employee is an adjudicated domestic abuser, and the D.A. didn't prosecute that case either. District Attorney Jeff Rosen can be reached here and here. Oh, and A.D.A. Hendrickson, who reviewed and rejected my case, is now campaigning to replace Judge Aaron Persky because he was too lenient on a privileged, white violent offender from Stanford.
4. Contact the Mountain View Police Department to ask about the investigation. When I reported the case, they tweeted that they take my case "seriously + investigate thoroughly" yet Officer Frank Rivas was forced to admit under oath that the police never even executed a search warrant. Also, Stanford Employee admitted to obtaining my photos without my permission and threatening to distribute them, but Officer Daniel Fairchild, who took the statement, failed to make an arrest – despite having a reasonable basis for believing that a crime had been committed. (The suspect admitting to the crime is not probable cause, Officer?)
5. Share this on Facebook. Even after the recent revelations about their use of personal data, the majority of people still get their news and information from social media.
–Cynthia
P.S. The account says I'm not "verified" but that's because I don't use Facebook. You can look up my criminal case with the police or D.A. (Case 16003794) or search the civil case in California Superior Court (Case 17CV312553). If you are considering making a substantial donation, I can provide you details to donate directly to the law firm representing me.
Edit 5/28/18:
GoFundMe has asked that the campaign be more specific regarding how funds will be dispersed. All funds will be used to pay our legal bills in the case(s) above.
Hello Friends!
I finally have decided to do a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for my lawsuit against my revenge pornographers for (among other claims) invasion of privacy and unauthorized access to computer systems. One of the defendants has hired an experienced lawyer who has had more than 100 trials, according to his website, so our chances are not good, even though the facts are on our side.
The reasons why I think it is important to continue with the lawsuit rather than drop it:
If we drop it, then there will be no record of the defendants' actions and if they face no consequences, they can continue to harm other people. Two of the defendants have been accused of physical assault, sexual assault, and child abuse. The Santa Clara D.A. decided not to prosecute those cases, so without a conviction or jury verdict, they can continue to gaslight victims and claim their own innocence.
Two of the defendants, let's call them "Stanford Employee" and "Uber Contractor" are not innocent (and they know it), since they both pleaded the Fifth in response to our lawsuit, both in sworn affidavits and in person at their hearing.
Asserting one's right against self-incrimination, colloquially referred to as "Taking the Fifth", is refusing to provide testimony or information that a defendant believes may incriminate him or her. You probably have heard that President Trump's lawyer took the Fifth in federal court in response to Stormy Daniel's civil lawsuit. "The mob takes the Fifth," said President Trump. "If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?"
The third defendant, let's call them "SF Millionaire" did not plead the Fifth but (in the answer to the complaint) did NOT deny the allegation of invasion of privacy, instead asserting the defense that we are partly responsible for it because of our "intentional misconduct." Except, strangely, they didn't countersue or provide any evidence of this supposed "intentional misconduct" in their response.
Both Stanford Employee and Uber Contractor have incomes greater than mine, according to public financial records and statements made in open court. My co-plaintiff is a single parent with a special needs child, and drives a 13-year-old car. I take the bus. My defendants live in a luxury complex in Silicon Valley that has its own private lake.
Even though this is a lawsuit, this isn't about money. It is about holding offenders accountable for their abusive, and at times criminal, actions. If we can't get justice through the criminal system, then we can at least try to get lifetime injunctions (civil restraining orders) and we promise to donate any money that we win in this case to charity or non-profits so that we can pay it forward and help other victims. (Our current plan is to donate any settlement or jury award to National Domestic Violence Hotline and American Cancer Society.)
I know that many of you might not be able to donate money, but still want to support us, so you can do the following things instead:
1. If you are a lawyer who is licensed to practice in the state of California, and you will generously donate some time to work with our lawyers, to reduce costs, please contact me. The Civil Rights Legal Fund is currently reviewing our case, but we don't know if they will choose to help us. Any legal help is appreciated!
2. Contact your favorite reporters or publications to tell them to report this story. Write letters to the editor if you live in the Bay Area. Stanford Employee has been criminally investigated twice (and is a civil defendant in a case) for assault, extortion and child abduction but the only news article you will find in the local paper is the one which lists a finishing time in a race (first place, congrats, but I'm not linking to it here). Very recently, another athlete and Stanford-affiliated offender, Brock Turner, was covered favorably by the media . Let's not keep making the same mistake.
UPDATE: On May 5, 2018, Palo Alto Patch wrote about the case and also linked to the GoFundMe campaign: Stanford Employee To Stand Trial for Revenge Porn
3. Contact the Santa Clara D.A. to inquire about the criminal investigation. If this case had been prosecuted in 2016, we would not have had to spend our own money for this lawsuit to get justice against the perpetrators. Also, Stanford Employee is an adjudicated domestic abuser, and the D.A. didn't prosecute that case either. District Attorney Jeff Rosen can be reached here and here. Oh, and A.D.A. Hendrickson, who reviewed and rejected my case, is now campaigning to replace Judge Aaron Persky because he was too lenient on a privileged, white violent offender from Stanford.
4. Contact the Mountain View Police Department to ask about the investigation. When I reported the case, they tweeted that they take my case "seriously + investigate thoroughly" yet Officer Frank Rivas was forced to admit under oath that the police never even executed a search warrant. Also, Stanford Employee admitted to obtaining my photos without my permission and threatening to distribute them, but Officer Daniel Fairchild, who took the statement, failed to make an arrest – despite having a reasonable basis for believing that a crime had been committed. (The suspect admitting to the crime is not probable cause, Officer?)
5. Share this on Facebook. Even after the recent revelations about their use of personal data, the majority of people still get their news and information from social media.
–Cynthia
P.S. The account says I'm not "verified" but that's because I don't use Facebook. You can look up my criminal case with the police or D.A. (Case 16003794) or search the civil case in California Superior Court (Case 17CV312553). If you are considering making a substantial donation, I can provide you details to donate directly to the law firm representing me.
Edit 5/28/18:
GoFundMe has asked that the campaign be more specific regarding how funds will be dispersed. All funds will be used to pay our legal bills in the case(s) above.
Organizer
Cynthia T.
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
