Full question:
My ex boyfriend paid $10k for plastic surgery for me that we both wanted. Following our break-up, he's threatening to post nude and other intimate pictures of me on the internet unless I pay him the $10,000. We never agreed that I would pay him anything. Now he's calling and e-mailing me at work. He is also the CFO at our place of employment. What recourse do I have if any?
- Category: Criminal
- Date:
- State: Florida
Answer:
Blackmail is a form of extortion in which the threat is to expose embarrassing, damaging information to family, friends or the public in exchange for payment of money or other advantage. It is a form of extortion, but differs in that extortion involves depriving someone of property.
Harassment may consist of the abuse of authority that occurs when a person uses authority unreasonably to interfere with an employee or the employee's job. It includes humiliation, intimidation, threats, and coercion.
I am unable to determine the ownership of the pictures. Copyright infringement is the violation of any exclusive right held by the copyright owner. The general rule is that the author - here, the photographer -- is the owner of the copyright.
Invasion of privacy involves making something public in which a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. It's not enough to argue that the photos were private; you must be able to prove that you and your boyfriend had an agreement never to share them with the outside world.
Please see the following Florida statues:
836.05 Threats; extortion.--
Whoever, either verbally or by a written or printed communication, maliciously threatens to accuse another of any crime or offense, or by such communication maliciously threatens an injury to the person, property or reputation of another, or maliciously threatens to expose another to disgrace, or to expose any secret affecting another, or to impute any deformity or lack of chastity to another, with intent thereby to extort money or any pecuniary advantage whatsoever, or with intent to compel the person so threatened, or any other person, to do any act or refrain from doing any act against his or her will, shall be guilty of a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
