Parents Ordered to Pay $30,441 USD for Destroying Adult Son’s Porn Cache
As reported in various news media sources, a Michigan couple has been ordered by a judge to pay $30,441 USD to their own son for getting rid of his collection of pornography.
The damages verdict was handed down recently, following upon a hearing held about eight months ago where U.S. District Judge Maloney ruled that the parents were liable for destroying the videos, magazines, and other items that were stored in the parents’ own home. Their son David, aged 43, had been staying with them for nearly a year after his 2016 divorce but then moved to Muncie, Indiana.
When David learned his porn stash had been destroyed, he sued his parents in District Court. They repeatedly admitted in court that they destroyed it; however, they felt they had the right to act as his landlords.
The $30,441 USD figure was arrived at after the court heard evidence from an expert in pornography valuation. The collection – which the judge called “a trove of pornography and an array of sex toys” – included 1,605 individual DVDs and VHS tapes, according to a series of emails between David and his father. The local Sheriff’s Office in Michigan reviewed the material, determining that the collection did not include any child pornography.
The parents decided to throw out the pornography because they were not willing to transport the collection to David in Indiana, and were uncomfortable with having the items remain in their home.
In one email, the father said, “Frankly, David, I did you a big favor getting rid of all this stuff”.
The parents were also ordered to pay $14,500 USD for the fees charged by their son’s lawyer.
For further coverage of this story, see:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/parents-must-pay–for-getting-rid-of-sons-porn-cache/ar-AANOD5o
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/27/porn-collection-parents-pay-son/5618952001/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/david-werking-parents-porn-collection_n_612938b6e4b06e5d80cd39f5
