Johannesburg Court Orders R3.5 Million Payout in Revenge Porn Scandal

Johannesburg High Court, a couple was ordered to pay R3.5 million in damages to a woman for a revenge porn incident and defamatory remarks.

The case arose after the woman, referred to as Alison (not her real name), discovered her ex-boyfriend Mike (not his real name) had shared explicit videos and images without her consent and created a fake Facebook profile. Mike's wife, Martha (not her real name), also made defamatory comments about Alison to others.

Alison and Mike were romantically involved between August 2014 and January 2015. During their relationship, Mike claimed he was not married and even proposed to Alison in December 2014.

However, in January 2015, Martha revealed to Alison that she was Mike’s wife. Alison ended the relationship, but Mike refused to accept it. He began harassing her at her workplace, prompting her to send an attorney's letter demanding he leave her alone.

Despite this, Mike continued sending threatening messages via WhatsApp, including threats to distribute explicit videos of Alison to her attorney, family, and friends.

He even shared a link to a fake Facebook profile he created, warning Alison that he would upload the videos if she refused to sleep with him. Alison later discovered that some videos and photographs were taken without her knowledge during their relationship.

In August 2015, the fake Facebook profile was used to share the explicit content, which Alison's family and friends saw. She claimed Mike and Martha's actions violated her privacy, reputation, and personal dignity. Martha further exacerbated the situation by making defamatory remarks to Alison’s colleagues.

The court found Mike and Martha’s actions had caused significant harm to Alison, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the ordeal. The medication she was prescribed for PTSD also negatively impacted her health.

The judgment ordered Mike and Martha to jointly pay R3.5 million to Alison, covering damages and medical costs. Additionally, they were held liable for Alison’s legal expenses, including application costs for the default judgment, expert fees, and attorney-client fees.