Downloaders Beware: Unusual legal tactic against teacher who used student in porn also applies to those who would view it

A former high school student from Racine, Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit against his former teacher for producing and possessing pornographic images of the student but also included anyone who downloaded the porn as defendants.

This lawsuit is part of a trend where victims of child pornography are suing their perpetrators under a federal statute that provides for damages of at least $150,000 for each image produced or possessed. That means any person who downloaded the internet porn containing images of the student is subject to this lawsuit.  This is the third such lawsuit that has been filed in the upper Midwest, with the other two being filed in Minnesota.                                               

This is just one more weapon that the law gives us to fight the horrible and growing problem.  This is an incredibly important law that gives victims of child pornography the right to hold their perpetrators accountable for the injury that they experienced as a result of both child sexual abuse and pornography.

This brave young man shows incredible resilience and courage by coming forward and forcing, not only the perpetrator and producer, but those who download the images as well, to answer for the wrongs that they have done.

In addition to this civil suit, Racine Unified School District teacher Joseph Clazmer, was criminally charged with sexually abusing the boy and possessing child pornography.