Man ordered to pay $100K to ex-girlfriend in revenge porn case

(FOX 2) - A Michigan man was ordered to pay his ex-girlfriend $100,000 for telling her he secretly recorded sex videos and posted them on a pornography website. 

Threatening texts of the recorded rendezvous is now forcing 22-year-old Schuyler French Bates of Lincoln, to pay up.

"This is the first time in American legal history that a money judgment has been awarded to someone who was told a sex tape had been created but it had not been created," said attorney Kyle Bristow.

The attorney for Bates' ex-girlfriend, Bristow said it started back in April of 2018. Bates and the 21-year-old woman broke up but Bates, apparently telling her he had secretly recorded them having sex. 

Then, he told her he'd shared the videos with his "work buddies," and also posted it on Pornhub.com, bragging that it had more than 800,00 views.  Bates - even told her he'd sent videos - to her father.

"The defendant's conduct was absolutely reprehensible. It was disgusting," Bristow said.

The woman quickly involved police and got a personal protection order against Bates, then filed a civil action against him - for the intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"She speculates it could be possible he did create a video," her attorney said. "But we aren’t able to prove that at this juncture."

Bristow says he had prepared to take the case to a jury, but a week before, bates didn't show up for a court-ordered settlement conference. On Wednesday - a judge deciding his ex is entitled to $100,000.

"We can garnish his wages, we can intercept his tax refunds and credits and we can put these against his property," Bristow said.

Bristow also says the judgment is not dischargeable in bankruptcy and although the judgement only lasts for 10 years, they can always file motions to renew it.

"This is something that's going to haunt him for the rest of his life," Bristow said.