Fans of Child Porn Liable for Damages

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision Wednesday that people who watch child pornography can be sued. Victims of child pornography may claim compensation from anyone found with the illegal images of them. The Supreme Court rejected, however, a $3.4 million verdict against a Texas man who was found to have possessed images of a woman's rape at a young age. Still, possessors of child porn must pay some restitution. “It makes sense to spread the payment among a larger number of offenders in amounts more closely in proportion to their respective causal roles and their own circumstances,” said Justice Anthony Kennedy.