On Monday, former OC actress Mischa Barton left the Los Angeles Superior Court with a personal and lawful win: her ex-boyfriend, Jon Zacharias, was banned from publicly releasing explicit photos or videos of Barton, according to The Los Angeles Times.
It has been a difficult year for Barton. In January, Los Angeles police responded to a call about a disturbance in the actress' West Hollywood apartment. Although she was "fully clothed" and "coherent," the 31-year-old actress was hospitalized that day. She discussed this incident on the Dr. Phil Show in April.
Then came the sex tap rumors in March, when Barton immediately hired a lawyer before anything escalated.
After this week's court case, Barton’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said in a statement, “Today we have won an important agreement, which permanently blocks the dissemination of these images. All explicit photos and videos of Mischa must be handed over to me immediately. Her ex must stay 100 yards away from her today, tomorrow and forever. And the court will retain jurisdiction over the case in case we need further enforcement.”
Bloom continued, “I am proud to declare victory for Mischa. She did this not just for herself, but for all women and girls. Mischa wants everyone to know that we have the right to control our own bodies and decide whether or not to have explicit photos out there for the world to see. If a woman wants to do that, fine. If she doesn’t, fine. The choice is hers and hers alone.”
It seems shocking that there should even be a question as to whether or not someone else can distribute explicit material without the subject's consent. We're thankful for Mischa's victory.