Revenge Porn and Cyberstalking: Legal Remedies

Online Harassment Often Accompanies Revenge Porn

Revenge porn doesn’t usually happen in isolation. Survivors often tell us the exposure was only the first blow. After images surface, messages follow. Fake profiles appear. Threats drip into inboxes at night. It becomes a campaign, not just a single act. That’s cyberstalking.

What makes the combination so devastating is the relentlessness. You might delete one account or report one post, but the offender pops up again. The abuse spreads wider, invading daily life in ways that feel impossible to escape. And in New York, the law treats that pattern as more than harassment, it’s a crime that can be tackled alongside revenge porn itself.

New York Laws on Cyberstalking and Digital Harassment

New York doesn’t shy away from digital abuse. Its laws already cover most forms of online stalking, even if the word “cyberstalking” doesn’t appear in the statute book. Penal Law § 120.45 makes stalking illegal when someone repeatedly engages in conduct that causes fear or emotional harm. Courts have interpreted this to include electronic harassment.

Another statute, Penal Law § 240.30, focuses on aggravated harassment. Repeated texts, threatening messages, or humiliating posts fall within its reach. Judges in New York have applied it directly to social media revenge porn cases where offenders use tags, comments, and direct messages to keep the victim under siege.

Civil remedies are available too. Under Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51, victims can sue for damages when their image is used without consent. Lawyers often weave harassment claims into these suits so the abuse is recognized in its entirety.

When Cyberstalking Turns Into a Civil Rights Violation

Sometimes the harassment isn’t just about personal revenge. It spills into workplaces or classrooms, creating hostile environments that interfere with basic rights. That’s when cyberstalking crosses into the territory of civil rights violations.

Under New York Human Rights Law (Executive Law § 296), both employers and schools are legally obligated to address harassment. If a private photo circulates at the office, and the offender bombards the victim with emails or humiliating posts, that’s not only cyberstalking, it’s a potential civil rights case.

This becomes especially important in workplace revenge porn situations. It’s not just the abuser who may be held liable. Employers who fail to act can face consequences too. Courts have recognized that ignoring cyberstalking tied to revenge porn undermines safety and equality in professional environments.

How to Document Cyberstalking Evidence

Survivors often want to erase every trace of the abuse, delete messages, block numbers, move on. But in court, evidence is power. Keeping records, even when painful, can make or break a case.

• Screenshots with details. Save images of messages, posts, or emails, making sure to include dates and usernames. Metadata can show whether an offender created multiple fake accounts.
• A running journal. Write down each incident. Judges often find credibility in survivors who can point to specific dates and describe the progression over time.
• Testimony from others. Friends, coworkers, or even teachers who witnessed harassment online can back up the survivor’s account.

For survivors of blackmail revenge porn, evidence often includes not just the final upload but the threats that preceded it. Courts take these threats seriously, and linking them to later harassment shows intent as well as harm.

In Maine, Cyberstalking Laws Are Narrower Than in New York

Geography matters. In Maine, harassment and stalking statutes exist, but they don’t spell out electronic abuse with the same clarity as New York’s laws. That makes prosecutions trickier and civil claims harder to sustain. Survivors there may find that online harassment falls into a gray area unless it’s extreme.

New York closes that gap. Its laws explicitly reference electronic communication, making it easier for victims to press charges. Survivors connected to both states often fare better by filing in New York, where the statutes match the digital reality of revenge porn and cyberstalking.

The contrast shows how uneven protections can be. One state acknowledges the digital landscape, another lags behind. Survivors deserve consistency, but until federal law catches up, the state you’re in can determine the strength of your case.

Remedies That Address Both Cyberstalking and Revenge Porn

Courts don’t like to treat cyberstalking and revenge porn as separate silos. They recognize the harms feed off one another. Remedies often target both forms of abuse at once.

• Protective orders. Judges can issue orders that bar contact of any kind, cutting off harassing texts, calls, or online posts. These orders cover both stalking and revenge porn dissemination.
• Damages in civil court. Emotional distress awards rise when cyberstalking accompanies revenge porn. Therapy bills, lost wages, and reputational damage can all be included.
• Platform removals. Courts sometimes order takedowns, directing websites and even search engines to block harassing or abusive content.

These remedies are particularly vital in adult website revenge porn cases, where offenders profit from uploaded content while simultaneously tormenting survivors. Addressing both problems together prevents abusers from sidestepping accountability.

Why Cyberstalking Strengthens a Revenge Porn Claim

Cyberstalking doesn’t just add to the harm, it strengthens the legal case. When a judge sees that the same offender both leaked images and launched a harassment campaign, it demonstrates intent. The abuse wasn’t accidental; it was deliberate and sustained.

That makes damages claims more compelling. Courts can see the emotional impact more clearly when harassment continues long after the initial exposure. In workplace revenge porn disputes, ongoing harassment often convinces judges that the offender is unfit for trust in employment or custody contexts.

Cyberstalking also helps survivors prove malicious motive. It connects the dots between the original revenge porn and the continuing harm, which often leads to stronger rulings in both civil and criminal proceedings.

Horn Wright, LLP, Pursues Justice for Victims of Online Abuse

No one should have to separate revenge porn from cyberstalking as if they’re two unrelated harms. They are threads of the same web, each reinforcing the other. At Horn Wright, LLP, we build cases that show courts the full picture.

Our sexual abuse attorneys move quickly: securing protective orders, preserving digital evidence, and pressing both civil and criminal claims. Survivors shouldn’t fight two battles in two different arenas. They need one strategy that covers everything, from stolen images to relentless harassment.

If you’re ready to work with a nationally recognized firm that takes on the full scope of online abuse, Horn Wright, LLP, will stand beside you until every avenue of justice has been pursued.