The female celebrities whose nude, sexually explicit, and personal photos were leaked online in late August have banded together and are threatening Google with a $100 million lawsuit because the company failed to remove the images from its search engines, Page Six reports.
Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Emily Ratajkowski, Rihanna, and countless others all had their photos leaked after hackers accessed their phones, allegedly through an Apple iCloud leak. Marty Singer, who has been called the “guard dog to the stars,” is the women’s lawyer, and sent a letter to Google accusing the company of “making millions from the victimization of women.”
Jennifer Lawrence seems to be the most widespread victim of the leak, having her photos leaked all three times. (Photo: Tumblr)
Singer called it “blatantly unethical behavior,” and compared the scandal to the NFL turning a blind eye in light of its recent domestic abuse scandal.
Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Emily Ratajkowski’s photos leaked in the second batch. (Photo: Tumblr)
In the letter, Singer said Google failed to:
“act expeditiously, and responsibly to remove the images, but in knowingly accommodating, facilitating, and perpetuating the unlawful conduct.”
The letter also clarifies that the company was asked to remove the images four weeks ago.
“Google knows the images are hacked stolen property, private and confidential photos and videos unlawfully obtained and posted by pervert predators who are violating the victims’ privacy rights … Yet Google has taken little or no action to stop these outrageous violations.”
“Because the victims are celebrities with valuable publicity rights you do nothing — nothing but collect millions of dollars in advertising revenue … as you seek to capitalize on this scandal rather than quash it. Like the NFL, which turned a blind eye while its players assaulted and victimized women and children, Google has turned a blind eye while its sites repeatedly exploit and victimize these women.”
Page Six does not clarify exactly which women are taking legal measures against the company, but both Lawrence and Upton’s representatives threatened to do so days after their photos leaked. (RELATED: Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton Nude Photos Leaked)
Kate Upton had her photos leaked in the first set in late August. (Photo: Tumblr)
Two more leaks have happened, both on weekends, since the original one in August. In the most recent one, 55 more photos of Lawrence were leaked, along with countless ones of actress Anna Kendrick, though none of her photos showed the 29-year-old naked. (RELATED: More Nude Photos Of Jennifer Lawrence Leaked)