Judge dismisses claims against Daily Mail in Katie Hill case
Published article
U.S. Representative Katie Hill (D-CA) speaking at the Ignite Young Women Run D.C. Conference in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - A judge cited First Amendment grounds on Wednesday in dismissing the Daily Mail as a defendant in former Rep. Katie Hill s revenge porn suit, which stems from the unauthorized publication of nude images of her.
The Daily Mail s website in October 2019 published nude photos of Hill taken by her former spouse, Kenneth Heslep, according to the former congresswoman s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which was filed Dec. 22 and alleges state Civil Code violations and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Hill later tweeted a response to the ruling. I sued the Daily Mail for their publication of my nonconsensual nude images, she said. Today, we lost in court because a judge not a jury thinks revenge porn is free speech. This fight has massive implications for any woman who ever wants to run for office, so quitting isn t an option.
But Orozco said the photos were a matter of public concern. (Hill s) argument that the images are not a matter of public concern because (the Daily Mail) could have simply described the images rather than publishing them is unpersuasive, as the fact that information to be gleaned from an image may be disseminated in an alternative manner does not equate to a finding that the image itself is not a matter of public concern, the judge wrote.
By City News Service
Apr 8, 2021
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - High winds are expected to buffet parts of L.A. County again today, the National Weather service said.
A wind advisory for the Los Angeles County mountains, excluding the Santa Monica Range, has been extended to 6 a.m. Friday, according to the NWS. It had been set to expire at 3 a.m. Friday.
Meanwhile, a wind advisory scheduled to go into effect for the Santa Clarita Valley at noon Thursday and run through 3 a.m. Friday was extended to 6 a.m. Friday.
The Antelope Valley is also expected to get hit with high winds, with an advisory beginning at noon Thursday and extending to 9 p.m.
Los Angeles County Public Health officials on Wednesday confirmed 53 new deaths and 479 new cases of COVID-19 countywide, as the Santa Clarita Valley cases total rose by 12 from Tuesday’s to 27,393 since the pandemic began.
To date, Public Health has identified 1,223,174 positive cases of COVID-19 and a total of 23,340 deaths countywide, 297 of them in the SCV.
“To the friends and families mourning a loved one who passed away from COVID-19, we are sending our love and prayers during your time of grief,” said Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., MPH, MEd, Director of L.A. County Public Health.
Wednesday’s encouraging news is that all of L.A. County’s key metrics are indicating less community transmission, although the rate of decrease in hospitalizations and cases is slowing, according to Public Health officials.
By City News Service
Apr 8, 2021
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A reporter who co-authored a story featuring nude photos of Katie Hill one with a female campaign staff member and another in which Hill holds a bong appearing to contain marijuana was dismissed as a defendant in the former congresswoman s revenge porn suit today by a judge who cited First Amendment grounds.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco found that reporter Jennifer Van Laar, in writing for the Daily Mail, had shown the photos were matters of legitimate interest involving a public official because they addressed Hill s character and qualifications for her position.