Bill Text: NY S02725 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes the crime of non-consensual dissemination of sexually explicit images as a class A misdemeanor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-21 - referred to codes [S02725 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S02725-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2725--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 17, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GRIFFO, DeFRANCISCO -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime of non-consensual dissemination of sexually explicit images The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding two new sections 250.70 2 and 250.75 to read as follows: 3 § 250.70 Non-consensual dissemination of sexually explicit images. 4 A person is guilty of non-consensual dissemination of sexually explic- 5 it images when he or she knowingly and without consent of the depicted 6 person disseminates a photograph, film, videotape, recording, or any 7 other reproduction of the image of such depicted person whose intimate 8 parts are exposed or who is engaged in an act of sexual contact, when a 9 reasonable person would have known that the person depicted would not 10 have consented to such dissemination, and under circumstances in which 11 the depicted person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. A person 12 who has consented to the capture or possession of an image within the 13 context of a private or confidential relationship retains a reasonable 14 expectation of privacy with regard to dissemination beyond that 15 relationship. 16 1. For the purposes of this section: 17 (a) "Intimate parts" means the naked genitals, pubic area, anus, or 18 female post-pubescent nipple of the person. 19 (b) "Sexual contact" means but is not limited to, masturbation, geni- 20 tal, anal, or oral sex, sexual penetration with objects, or the transfer 21 or transmission of semen upon any part of the depicted person's body. 22 2. This section shall not apply to: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01700-03-7S. 2725--A 2 1 (a) lawful and common practices of law enforcement, criminal report- 2 ing, or legal proceedings, or disseminations made in the reporting of 3 unlawful activity; 4 (b) situations involving voluntary exposure in public or commercial 5 settings, or disseminations made for a legitimate public purpose; or 6 (c) providers of an interactive computer service, as defined in 47 7 U.S.C. § 230(f), for images provided by another person. 8 Non-consensual dissemination of sexually explicit images is a class A 9 misdemeanor. 10 § 250.75 Civil cause of action for non-consensual dissemination of sexu- 11 ally explicit images. 12 1. A civil cause of action lies against a person who disseminates, 13 threatens to disseminate an image of another person identifiable from 14 the image itself or information displayed in connection with the image 15 and whose intimate parts are exposed or is engaged in sexual conduct 16 without that other person's consent, if the actor: 17 (a) obtained the image or images under circumstances in which a 18 reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain 19 private, including but not limited to images shared within the context 20 of a confidential relationship that were then disseminated beyond such 21 relationship; or 22 (b) knowingly obtained the image or images under false pretenses or 23 without authorization or by exceeding authorized access to property, 24 accounts, messages, files, devices, or resources. 25 2. The following affirmative defense shall apply if: 26 (a) The distributed material was created or distributed under an 27 agreement by the person appearing in the material for its public use and 28 distribution; or 29 (b) The distributed material constitutes a matter of public concern, 30 lawful and common practices of law enforcement, criminal reporting, 31 legal proceedings, medical treatment, or scientific or educational 32 activities; or 33 (c) The distributed material was photographed, filmed, videotaped, 34 recorded, or otherwise reproduced in a public place and under circum- 35 stances in which the person depicted had no reasonable expectation of 36 privacy. 37 3. In addition to other relief available at law, including an order by 38 the court to destroy any image obtained or disseminated in violation of 39 this section, and to preserve discoverable information, and preliminary 40 and permanent injunctive relief, the actor shall be liable to the plain- 41 tiff for: 42 (a) Actual damages, but not less than liquidated damages, to be 43 computed at the rate of one thousand dollars per day for each day the 44 image or images were viewable or each instance a threat to distribute 45 was made or an image fraudulently obtained up to thirty days, or ten 46 thousand dollars, whichever is higher; and 47 (b) Punitive damages; and 48 (c) Reasonable court costs and attorneys' fees. 49 4. In an action brought under this section, all identifying informa- 50 tion about the plaintiff may be redacted from pleadings and court 51 filings and the plaintiff may proceed under pseudonym; the court shall 52 inform the plaintiff of the option to proceed under pseudonym at the 53 earliest possible point and shall maintain the records in a manner that 54 protects the plaintiff's confidentiality. 55 5. The following definitions shall apply: (a) "Personal information" 56 includes, but is not limited to, name or any part thereof, address orS. 2725--A 3 1 any part thereof, age, names of family members, marital status, 2 relationship to defendant, race or ethnic background, employer, school, 3 or URLs, social media account usernames, and screenshots related to the 4 cause of action; 5 (b) "Actual damages" includes, but is not limited to, pain and suffer- 6 ing, emotional distress, economic damages, and lost earnings. 7 6. A cause of action brought under this section may be brought no more 8 than five years after the last dissemination or incident. 9 7. The actor's claim that the depicted person is a public figure shall 10 not be sufficient to establish the affirmative defense that distribution 11 constitutes a matter of public concern. 12 8. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require that a crimi- 13 nal charge be brought or a criminal conviction be obtained as a condi- 14 tion of bringing a civil cause of action or receiving a civil judgment 15 pursuant to this section or be construed to require that any of the 16 rules governing a criminal proceeding be applicable to any such civil 17 action. 18 9. This section shall not apply to providers of an interactive comput- 19 er service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 230(f), for images provided by 20 another person. 21 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 22 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.