Mischa Barton opened up about being the victim of revenge porn, and how she’s taking legal action to fight it
Former teen star and queen of Orange County, Mischa Barton, is taking legal action against revenge porn after it transpired that an ex-partner of hers was attempting to sell a sex tape allegedly made without her consent.
On Tuesday (March 14th), a lawyer for Barton, Attorney Lisa Bloom, released a statement in which it was revealed that a sex tape was being shopped around, with The Daily Mail suggesting that the tape was up for auction for offers in excess of $500,000.
“It has been reported that naked or sexually explicit images of Ms. Barton are being ‘shopped around,’” the statement read. “Ms. Barton does not consent to any disclosure of any such images She believes that she was recorded without her consent by someone she was seeing at the time.”
Bloom went on to say that Mischa had been the victim of “revenge pornography.”
“Revenge pornography is a form of sexual assault, and it is also a crime and a civil wrong in California,” she said. “And we will not stand for it.”
Finally, she added: “I have a message for anyone who attempts to traffic in these photos or videos of Ms. Barton: we will find you, and we will come after you. We will fully prosecute you under every available criminal and civil law. You proceed at your peril.”
BREAKING NEWS: I am proud to represent actress Mischa Barton, who is the victim of revenge pornography. Here is my statement.
Posted by Lisa Bloom on Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Following the letter, Mischa Barton was granted restraining orders against two ex-partners, and she has since given a press conference in which she spoke about he experience.
“I just want to say that I have been put through an incredibly hard and trying time,” she said. “This is a painful situation and my absolute fear was realized when I learned that someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments without my consent, with hidden cameras. And then I learned something even worse — that someone is trying to sell these videos and make them public.”
Press conference of Lisa Bloom with her client Mischa Barton.
Posted by The Bloom Firm on Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Explaining why she decided to go public with the news, Barton said that she hoped that her experiences would help others.
“I came forward to fight this not only for myself but for all the women out there,” she said. “I want to protect them from the pain and humiliation that I have had to go through. No woman should have to go through this.”
Mischa Barton’s case comes after it was announced yesterday (March 15th) that private photographs of Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried had been stolen were being circulated on the Dark Web.
We can’t imagine how upsetting and difficult this time must be for Mischa Barton (along with Watson and Seyfried). We think she’s shown such strength by speaking about her experiences, and we’re glad that she’s tackling this serious matter with legal proceedings.
