Pornography Victims Get Partial Compensation, Supreme Court Says
Source: Bloomberg
By Greg Stohr Apr 23, 2014 12:15 PM ET
People convicted of possessing child pornography must pay victims a share of the economic losses they endured, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a decision that drew dissents from both directions.
A five-justice majority said each culprit must pay an amount that “comports with the defendant’s relative role” in the harm suffered by the victim. The ruling was a partial victory for Doyle Randall Paroline, who pleaded guilty to possessing as many as 300 pornographic images, including two of a girl identified as “Amy” in court papers.
The case forced the justices to grapple with how much impact a single possessor of a widely distributed pornographic image has on a victim. Although a 1994 federal law says victims are entitled to compensation, the measure doesn’t spell out how judges should calculate the sum.
“Defendants should be made liable for the consequences and gravity of their own conduct, not the conduct of others,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-23/pornography-victims-get-partial-compensation-court-says.html
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