HOUSTON — A Harris County woman was awarded over a billion dollars in an image-based sexual abuse case, otherwise known as "revenge porn."
The woman and her attorneys said she has been harassed for years by an ex-boyfriend who put sexually explicit images of her on the internet without her consent.
This $1.2 billion dollar verdict is a huge victory for the woman who told KHOU 11 that she had lived her life in fear.
"It's been about 2 years or 3 years. It's been painful and scary," said the woman who has asked us to keep her identity hidden.
The woman dated Jamal Jackson Marques for 4 years but once she broke up with him in 2020, that is when she says the harassment began.
"Taken nonconsensual photographs, video and audio of her intimate moments, and following the breakup, decided to publish the materials online," said attorney Bradford J. Gilde.
He would publish those images and videos on Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, and even Pornhub, her attorney said. He would even email her family, friends and coworkers.
He also went as far as to log into her surveillance cameras and watch her at her mother's house, the woman's attorneys said. He would hack into her Zoom and publish the material during her meetings.
She says he even sent her a threatening message, letting her know she would spend the rest of her life wiping herself clean from the internet.
"His purpose is to ruin her," said Gilde.
Attorneys said they filed the lawsuit 16 months ago and we're very pleased with the verdict.
"It was about sending a message to the world," said attorney Jacob Schiffer. "Do not mess with Texas and do not mess with Texas women."
Although Jane Doe might never get that money from Jamal Jackson Marques, she and her attorneys hope this sets a precedent for other cases like hers in the future.
"I feel like I have been holding my breath for 3 years," the woman said.
The woman's attorneys say Jackson was never in court but was served with all of the court documents. Attorneys said during the trial, they had asked the jury for $1 billion dollars but they came back and awarded the victim more money.
You can read the full lawsuit below: