%1

Former Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), who owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to media parties she unsuccessfully sued over the publication of salacious pictures while she was in office, has filed for bankruptcy, the Los Angeles Times reported. If successful, the move could allow Hill to avoid paying attorneys’ fees to the defendants, including a conservative website, a British tabloid and two journalists. The financial judgments were rendered in 2021 after a judge dismissed her lawsuit accusing multiple parties of distributing and publishing intimate pictures of Hill without her consent. The suit received national scrutiny because it pitted California’s “revenge porn” law against the 1st Amendment. Hill’s attorney said her client is the victim in the case and had no choice other than to file for bankruptcy because of the ruling’s financial toll. Hill said she does not regret filing the suit and called for a federal revenge porn law.