Mischa Barton is granted an immediate domestic violence restraining order against an ex-boyfriend after the jilted lover allegedly shopped around her sex tape.
- Mar 16, 2017
AceShowbiz - Emma Watson is not the only star dealing with un-consented nudes. Mischa Barton is also facing a similar issue. While the "Beauty and the Beast (2017)" actress was a victim of hacker(s), Barton was allegedly targeted by a jilted lover. Someone she once dated has reportedly been shopping around her alleged sex tape to adult companies.
"I just want to say that I've been put through an incredibly hard and trying time," Barton said. "This is a painful situation, and my absolute worst fear was realized when I learned that someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments, without my consent, with hidden cameras. Then I learned something even worse: that someone is trying to sell these vides and make them public."
"I came forward to fight this not only for myself but for all the women out there," the 31-year-old star continued. "I want to protect them from the pain and humiliation I've had to go through. No woman should have to go through this. It is a very hard thing to do but I am glad that I am finally standing up for myself."
While the actress didn't name the individual she believed was responsible for the sex tape, her lawyer said the actress was "in a brief relationship" with the individual and the images were taken sometime last year. The actress has been granted an immediate domestic violence restraining order following the revenge porn drama.
"Because Miss Barton has dated him, we contended that she was protected under California's laws against domestic violence which prohibit all forms of abuse by a former intimate partner," said her lawyer Lisa Bloom. "In short, we consider this to be a form of domestic abuse. The court agreed and gave us everything that we asked for, including the order to stay away from Miss Barton and to not contact her."
"Miss Barton and I stand for a woman's right to choose what images of her own body will be made public," the attorney added. "You have no right to exploit her or any woman for revenge or financial gain. You have been warned, you proceed at your peril."
The lawyer also commented on the allegations that Barton was looking directly at the camera at times. Her client "does not know exactly how the recordings were made, whether there was a hidden camera, which is very common and easy to do, or whether it was a phone camera," the attorney vehemently said.
"I don't think looking in any particular direction is an indication of knowing that one is being recorded," she elaborated. "We would strenuously object to any conclusion being drawn from some direction that she may have been looking at any particular time."
The actress will pursue the case in criminal and civil law. "Revenge pornography is a form of sexual assault, and it is also a crime and a civil wrong in California. And we will not stand for it," Bloom said in a statement. "I have a message for anyone who attempts to traffic in these photos or videos of Ms. Barton: we will find you, and we will come after you. We will fully prosecute you under every available criminal and civil law."
It's the second unfortunate incident Mischa Barton had in two months. In January, she revealed she was drugged while going out with friends to celebrate her birthday. "While having drinks, I realized that something was not right as my behavior was becoming erratic and continued to intensify over the next several hours," she told PEOPLE. "I voluntarily went to get professional help, and I was informed by their staff that I had been given GHB. After an overnight stay, I am home and doing well." She added, "This is a lesson to all young women out there, be aware of your surroundings."
