What Can We Learn From a Beauty Queen’s Porn? Florida’s Revenge Porn Law Explained

This one has it all — a beauty queen, a congressman, and some porn!!

Allegations Against a Congressman

Lindsey Langston, the reigning Miss United States, recently accused Florida Congressman Cory Mills of threatening to release nude photos and intimate videos of her, including footage of the two together. She says the threats came after she ended their courtship — and claims he even had a side piece in Washington (what???!).

Mills’ Response

Because this newsletter reports both sides of the case, Mills denied the allegations, stating that they are false and “misrepresent the nature of my interactions.”

Lessons From the Scandal

So, what can we learn from this potential political peep show?

We can learn all about Florida’s Revenge Porn statute (FS § 784.049).

Key Points of Florida’s Revenge Porn Law

In the Sunshine State, it’s illegal to:

• Publish, distribute, or share nude or sexual images without consent
  
• Threaten to publish such images
  
• Share both photos and videos taken consensually or otherwise
  

Violations can result in:

• Felony charges
  
• Civil lawsuits
  

Threats Are Also Illegal

Mere threats are also problematic.

Threatening to release private images can be charged as:

• Harassment
  
• Extortion
  

Victims can:

• Seek injunctions to prevent distribution
  
• Pursue damages
  

Final Takeaway

So, there you have it — we learn that privacy is protected in Florida, even for public figures like a beauty queen and a congressman.

Threats to share private, intimate images are criminal and civil offenses in Florida. We also learn that I can’t resist a salacious story! LOL