Olympia- A bill to strengthen Washington’s law providing civil remedies for the unauthorized disclosure of intimate images passed the House yesterday unanimously. House Bill 1165, sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines), brings Washington’s current law into alignment with the Uniform Civil Remedies for the Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act (UCRUDIIA). The new statute will provide a right of action not just for the actual disclosure of intimate images but for damages caused by the threatened disclosure of intimate images.
“The bill provides a more robust pathway for justice for a person who is harmed by the release of private and deeply personal images without their consent. It is sometimes called revenge porn and it can cause extreme emotional distress and have a profound impact on a person’s mental health, job, and family,” said Orwall. “By bringing our law into alignment with other states we are strengthening the language around consent as well as allowing for more damages to be collected.”
Washington first passed laws to combat ‘revenge porn’ in 2015. HB 2160 made created civil liability for any person who intentionally and without consent distributed an intimate image of another person and HB 1272 made disclosing an intimate image a gross misdemeanor on the first offense rising to a class C felony thereafter.
The Uniform Law Commission is an organization that authors and promotes the enactment of uniform laws across the country in areas where having national uniformity is desirable. In 2018 they promulgated the UCRUDIIA which has since been adopted by seven states.
The bill was heard in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on January 18th. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.