Former Santa Clarita Congresswoman Katie Hill, who represented California’s 25th District from 2018-2019, had her revenge porn lawsuit against the Daily Mail regarding the publication of lewd photos back in 2019 and was dismissed by the court on Wednesday.
Hill, who resigned from her position as congressional representative in October of 2019, lost the lawsuit against the Daily Mail, in which lewd photos were published of her involved in an intimate relationship with one of her staffers.
“Here, the intimate images published by (the Daily Mail) spoke to (Hill’s) character and qualifications for her position, as they allegedly depicted (Hill) with a campaign staffer whom she was alleged to have had a sexual affair with and appeared to show (Hill) using a then-illegal drug and displaying a tattoo that was controversial because it resembled a white supremacy symbol that had become an issue during her congressional campaign,” said Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco in a statement on April 8.
Hill had sued her ex-husband, Kenneth Heslep, the parent companies for the sites Daily Mail and RedState, as well as William S. Hart Union High School District Board Member Joe Messina, according to the 41-page legal document filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in December 2020.
See Related: Former Rep. Katie Hill Sues Ex-Husband, Media Outlets, Hart Board Member Over Nude Photos
The lawsuit sought damages, in which the amount is not specified, for emotional distress and violation of state law for the distribution of nude photos without Hill’s consent.
Hill alleges her life was “irreparably altered by the abuse and nonconsensual dissemination and publication of her intimate images,” the suit said.
The suit listed as defendants Salem Media Group Inc., the parent company of RedState, Mail Media, Inc., the parent company of the Daily Mail, as well as writer Jennifer Van Laar, the deputy managing editor of RedState, and Messina, among other unnamed defendants.
Messina was connected to the case when Hill alleged that after receiving explicit photographs of her, Messina failed to report them to law enforcement and then told the public about their content as host of “The Real Side” radio show. Hill maintained the actions were part of a conspiracy to commit a violation of California’s revenge porn law.
“They had nothing from day one on me and they even said in the deposition they were really struggling to tie it all together,” Messina said. “At the very last minute, they decided to drop it with me.”
A few of the controversial photos published by The Daily Mail depicted Hill in an intimate relationship with one of her campaign staffers, leading to rumors she was in a “throuple” with the staffer and her then-husband, according to Fox News officials.
Dismissing the case on Wednesday, Orozco cited the First Amendment and ruled the Daily Mail photos were in the “public interest.”
Messina noted that he is “exploring options” for a return suit against Hill, as the allegations laid against him resulted in repeated harassment, not only online but via comments at William S. Hart District School Board meetings, as well as threats to his personal safety sent to his wife.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I never talked to Kenny (Heslep), I could never get him to call me, so the only stuff that I talked about was what I knew was true, that I read in her own texts,” Messina said. “It’s going to be tough to turn it around because (Hill) accused a school board member of sharing revenge porn.”
Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com
KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
No comments:
Post a Comment