A woman from Arizona is suing her ex-boyfriend and members of a university fraternity in Florida, accusing them of sharing intimate images and videos without her consent. The lawsuit, filed in Orlando, alleges sexual exploitation by members of Delta Sigma Phi at the University of Central Florida.
The court documents claim that Kathryn Novak's ex-boyfriend, Brandon Simpson, shared intimate content with other fraternity members during their long-distance relationship from October 2017 to February 2018. The images and videos were allegedly posted in a secret Facebook group called 'Dog Pound', accessible to fraternity members.
The lawsuit states that in one instance, a video in which Ms Novak's face was identifiable was sent to five fraternity brothers and viewed by up to 200 people. It names Mr Simpson, the fraternity chapter, and four other members as defendants. Ms Novak is seeking compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages.
Michael Avenatti, Ms Novak's lawyer, described the ordeal as 'devastating' and criticised the 'frat-boy atmosphere' that exploited women without their knowledge. The national Delta Sigma Phi organisation said it had suspended its Orlando chapter, calling the allegations 'disturbing and antithetical to our values'.
The University of Central Florida said it was investigating the claims. In Florida, victims of 'revenge porn' can file civil actions under the state's sexual cyber-harassment law. Similar legislation exists in the UK, where sharing such material without consent is a criminal offence.
