CUNY Professor Wins 30 MILLION Revenge Porn Lawsuit Against Boyfriend

A public health professor at CUNY has won a landmark $30million revenge porn lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend in New York City. 

Dr. Spring Chenoa Cooper, 43, was awarded the significant figure by a jury in Manhattan on Friday and it is the largest verdict awarded in a revenge porn case in the city. 

She filed the lawsuit against comedian Ryan Broems, 37, six years ago after he posted naked photos and videos of her on the internet after they split up.

'It's been the worst six years since this all started,' she told The New York Post. 'It means so much that the jury could validate my experiences and see how much pain and trauma this has caused me and continues to cause me.'

In a corresponding criminal case, Broems pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor of disclosure of an intimate image on December 15, 2021 and was given a no-jail sentence of 26-weeks and forced to attend a program for abusive partners. 




CUNY public health professor Dr Spring Chenoa Cooper, 43, has won a landmark $30million revenge porn lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend in New York City 





She filed the lawsuit against comedian Ryan Broems, 37, six years ago after he posted naked photos and videos of her on the internet after they split up





Cooper, 43, was awarded the significant figure by a jury in Manhattan on Friday and it is the largest verdict awarded in a revenge porn case

Cooper, who is an associate professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, filed a lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend in 2018.

She accused him of sharing nude photos and videos of her on Tumblr as well as her faculty, Facebook and OK Cupid profiles.

Broems was ordered to stay away from Cooper for five years following the criminal sentencing. 

Her lawyer Daniel Szalkiewicz said Broems did not have representation at the lawsuit trial and did not show up. 

The jury only had to determine how much the comedian must pay Cooper in damages after a judge previously found him liable for Cooper's revenge porn claims. 

But she does not think she will receive any of the money, although it serves as a strong deterrent to others.

'It's symbolic for me more than anything. The symbolism is that this isn't okay and that's what I feel is most important here,' Cooper said., 

'I'm grateful that the jury sent a message to my ex and every person who has even considered posting an intimate image or link palsu video of someone without their consent, that this is not something our society condones.

'In fact, it's a sexual assault, we find it reprehensible, and the justice system is on our side.'

She and Broems ended their relationship in November 2017 following a 'tumultuous' year. 

Cooper allegedly found out he'd slept with five women in the last week of their relationship, her lawsuit suit claimed.

It stated that Broems harassed his ex-girlfriend following their break-up by sending her daily Snapchats of himself masturbating each morning. 




Cooper, who is an associate professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, filed a lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend in 2018 





In a corresponding criminal case, Broems pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor of disclosure of an intimate image on December 15, 2021 and was given a no-jail sentence of 26-weeks and forced to attend a program for abusive partners

He then allegedly posted nude images of her online after she blocked him. 

Cooper then filed a police report and took out a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend in Family Court but he allegedly continued. 

Broems shared a post on X on Valentine's Day that year, shown to the jury, which read: 'My ex is such a romantic. 

'She just had my Valentine's Day card hand delivered by the police and it read, ‘Roses are red, Violets are blue, Please always keep 500ft, Between me and you.' 

Cooper believed her career would be ended by the embarrassing pictures and videos and she added she has had difficulty trusting new people. 

'I've also had a lot of break-ups over the past several years,' she said. 

Revenge porn laws went into effect in New York City in February 2018 and her lawsuit was the first to be filed under the statute.

'We're grateful that the New Yorkers who served on this jury recognized that image-based sexual abuse has serious and lifelong consequences for those who are victimized,' her attorney Szalkeiwicz said. 

'We also hope this verdict acts as a warning that this sort of behavior is not tolerated here.'

Victims of revenge porn are able to sue for damages, legal fees and injunctions in order to block posts. 

But those who are found guilty of the crime can also be jailed for a year and fined $1,000. 

Cooper said she has joined the cyber sexual abuse task force in New York and looks into the topic as part of her academic work.

DailyMail.com has contacted Broems for comment. 


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