Survivors of ‘Revenge Porn’ Now Eligible for Victim Compensation

Today, on Safer Internet Day, Assemblymember Monica Wallace (D-Lancaster) announced that her legislation to expand victim compensation to cover survivors of unlawful dissemination or publication of an intimate image is in effect. Assemblymember Wallace sponsored legislation (A7489) to compensate victims of these offenses, commonly known as “revenge porn,” for costs incurred as a result of the crime, such as lost earnings, mental health counseling fees, and relocation expenses.

In 2019, Assemblymember Wallace helped pass legislation (A5981) criminalizing revenge porn and giving victims an opportunity to pursue civil actions against alleged offenders. That action came after a 2017 study found 12 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 had explicit images of them shared without their consent.

“Sharing intimate images without consent is a cruel, abusive crime that often has long-lasting effects on victims, including harmed mental health, coercion, isolation, and deteriorated relationships,” said Assemblymember Wallace. “It’s only right that we provide these individuals with the same compensation that we afford to survivors of other sexual and abusive crimes. These resources will help survivors heal and move on with their lives.” 

Victim compensation provides a safety net for crime victims and some family members to cover costs associated with being a victim of a serious crime. The assistance is available after all other sources of compensation, such as insurance or workers’ compensation, have been exhausted.

“Legislation like this truly reflects the needs of survivors,” said Mary Travers Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of the Family Justice Center. “It lessens the barriers in seeking justice and fosters healing. There is an immense amount of unfair shame and victim blaming associated with revenge porn and similar crimes. This sends a strong message to perpetrators that their criminal actions will not be tolerated, and an even stronger message to survivors that they matter.”

Assemblymember Wallace has a long record of passing legislation to empower victims of sexual and domestic crimes. In 2019, she passed a series of laws to support victims of domestic violence, including legislation to recognize identity theft, grand larceny and coercion as forms of domestic violence (A5608), and allow victims of domestic violence to receive damages for economic and non-economic losses from all defendants found liable in civil court (A5614). In this past session, she co-sponsored and championed legislation to authorize bail and pre-trial detention for domestic violence offenses.

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‘Kidnapping incident’: Analyst highlights ‘interesting history’ of shooter tied to Trump



The suspected gunman in a deadly Florida State University mass shooting was kicked out of a political debate club for pushing white supremacist views.

Phoenix Ikner, 20, allegedly used one of his stepmother's guns to kill two people and wound five others in a shooting near the student union on campus in Tallahassee, and court records show he had a tumultuous childhood while a former classmate told NBC News that he expressed right-wing extremist views in a "political round table" club.

"He does have an interesting history," said CNN chief law enforcement analyst John Miller. "We know from court records that CNN unearthed yesterday that he was the subject of a domestic kidnaping incident when he was a child. His biological mother took him out of the country. There was a court fight to get custody back to him. He was brought back to the United States and his adoptive or stepmom, the deputy sheriff, has had him since, and as the sheriff pointed out, he's kind of been enveloped in the law enforcement, extended family."

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"We know he's a political science major," Miller added. "We know he was quoted in the student newspaper talking about a demonstration that the reporter was covering, where she just stopped him and said, what do you think of all this? It was a anti-Donald Trump demonstration. He said, you know, 'these people are a little late, the election happened already, he's being inaugurated on the 20th,' and interestingly, he said, you know, 'short of you know, revolution, we're not going to change that,' and he said, 'no one thinks that's a good idea,' so the statement doesn't really open a definitive door."

A former classmate at both Tallahassee State College and Florida State said Ikner was part of MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA chapter at the community college, while voter records show he is a registered Republican, and he described how Ikner's views got him kicked out of a club he led.

"Basically our only rule was no Nazis — colloquially speaking — and he espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric, and far-right rhetoric, as well, to the point where we had to exercise that rule," said Reid Seybold, who was president of that club at Tallahassee State College.

Ikner was also quoted in an FSU student newspaper article on protests against Donald Trump on campus.

“These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons,” said Ikner, who was identified as a political science major. “I think it’s a little too late, he’s already going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 and there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”

Ikner was carrying a handgun that had been the service weapon of Leon County sheriff's deputy Jessica Ikner, his stepmother, and he had previously been a member of the sheriff’s Youth Advisory Council, which is designed to “provide an open line of communication between the youth of Leon County and local law enforcement."

Court documents from 2015 show that Ikner was treated for multiple mental and physical health issues as a child and was the subject of a years-long custody battle.

His biological mother, identified as Anne-Mari Eriksen, a U.S.-Norwegian dual national, was charged with taking a minor from the state contrary to a court order after taking him at age 10 from Florida to Norway.

"Instead of staying in South Florida, the defendant allegedly fled the country with him in violation of their custody agreement," the court filing says.

An Instagram account believed to have belonged to Ikner displayed a Bible quote, "Jeremiah 51:20 -‘You are my war club, my weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I destroy kingdoms,'" that serves as the motto for the white nationalist group The Order.

Watch below or click here.

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MAGA Influencer Tells Steve Bannon Trump ‘Will Have No Choice’ But to Suspend Habeas Corpus

"At a certain point, I feel he's gonna have no choice but to do this. And you know what? If he stands strong and he does it, he'll win in a landslide"

The post MAGA Influencer Tells Steve Bannon Trump ‘Will Have No Choice’ But to Suspend Habeas Corpus first appeared on Mediaite.

‘She’s got a bad case of it’: Trump lashes out against ‘sick’ judge who ruled against him



President Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee hearing a lawsuit over an executive order against law firm Perkins Coie.

In a Wednesday message posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Howell an "unmitigated train wreck" after she declined to remove herself from the case.

"I’m suing the law firm of Perkins Coie for their egregious and unlawful acts, in particular the conduct of a specific member of this firm, only to find out that the Judge assigned to this case is Beryl Howell, an Obama appointment, and a highly biased and unfair disaster," Trump wrote. "She ruled against me in the past, in a shocking display of sick judicial temperament, on a case that ended up working out very well for me, on appeal."

Trump is thought to be upset with Perkins Coie after it hired Fusion GPS, which funded an investigation into him in 2016 and paid for the so-called Steele dossier on behalf of Hillary Clinton's campaign.

"I could have a 100% perfect case and she would angrily rule against me," the president whined. "It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome, and she’s got a bad case of it. To put it nicely, Beryl Howell is an unmitigated train wreck. NO JUSTICE!!!"

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For her part, Howell has accused Trump and the Department of Justice of trying to undermine the court.

“This strategy is designed to impugn the integrity of the federal judicial system and blame any loss on the decision-maker rather than fallacies in the substantive legal arguments presented," she wrote in one ruling against Trump's executive order.

“Adjudicating whether an Executive Branch exercise of power is legal, or not, is actually the job of the federal courts, and not of the President or the Department of Justice, though vigorous and rigorous defense of executive actions is both expected and helpful to the courts in resolving legal issues."