US revenge porn victim gets US$6.4m damage award

A woman has been awarded millions in a revenge porn case.

A woman has been awarded US$6.4 million ($8.7m) by a California court in a revenge porn case.

The BBC reports that the unnamed woman sued David Elam, a former partner, after he put naked videos and pictures of her online.

The award for damages compensates for the harm done by sharing the images, stalking, emotional distress and copyright infringement, the BBC says.

It says the judgement was in a civil suit following the dropping of a federal criminal case against Elam in 2014.

K&L Gates represented the woman as part of the legal firm's Cyber Civil Rights Project, which helps victims of revenge porn for reduced fees.

The BBC said court documents show that David Elam and the woman met via an online dating site in 2012.

The woman sent intimate images and videos to Elam while the pair were in a relationship but were living apart.

After the relationship broke down, Elam uploaded the images to several social media networks, porn websites and dating services. Elam allegedly impersonated her on these sites, shared her mobile number and home address with anyone who responded, the BBC reports.

The woman was forced to copyright her image and serve take-down notices to the sites on which they were uploaded.