New Jersey has one of the oldest and harshest laws on the books regarding revenge porn, and New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Cunningham is currently feeling its effects.
Cunningham was reportedly arrested on December 29th and charged with a number of offenses, including third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree invasion of privacy for the unlawful spreading of sexual images. He was also charged with fourth-degree unlawful weapons transport after police found a gun in his car.
According to The Daily Dot, “the charge stems from alleged ‘dissemination of images of a sexual nature to another person’ without that person’s consent.” The victim in the case was apparently dating Cunningham.
Revenge porn has been in the news as of late as state clamor to pass specific laws targeting the practice. As of today, 13 states have laws on the books the specifically deal with revenge porn – Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. A handful of other states, including Washington, New Mexico, Florida, Kentucky, and Alabama have had bills introduced in their state legislatures.
Before these laws were enacted, victims of revenge porn rarely found recourse against exes who had published sexual imagery without their consent.
Cunningham injured his Achilles’ tendon in training camp before the start of this season and hasn’t played all year. A Jets spokesman has given a curt statement, saying, “We are aware of the situation. This is a pending legal matter and we will have no comment.”
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