Last week, three women filed a federal lawsuit against Anderson, 53, alleging their pictures were among the more than 300 images of child pornography that federal investigators determined Anderson had in his possession. Anderson, a former Colonial Bank employee, was arrested April 24, 2006.
Identified by the pseudonyms “Amy,” “Vicky” and “Alice,” the women are seeking compensation. Amy and Vicky each are asking for $150,000 and other losses a judge deems appropriate. An amount for Alice’s compensation isn’t specified in the lawsuit.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, isn’t the first of it’s kind, but legal actions like it aren’t widespread either.
Victims of child pornography often don’t know they can pursue damages, or they can’t be identified in photos to even know who has a copy, said Emma Hetherington, director of The University of Georgia School of Law’s Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic.
Many victims still are minors, said James R. Marsh, a New York attorney who has represented Amy — who’s now in her mid 20s — in a number of lawsuits seeking restitution since 2008.
“We’re really at the beginning of the beginning,” he said. “The victims are still so young and still so traumatized.”
Marsh said child pornography is a crime that’s unlike an accident because “it’s an ongoing assault. It’s an ongoing trauma. It’s an ongoing sense of insecurity and embarrassment.”