After 30 years, the naked child on the cover of the most famous rock albums sues the group for sexual exploitation



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After 30 years, the naked child on the cover of the most famous rock albums sues the group for sexual exploitation

facebook.com/Spencer Elden

Nirvana Nevermind album cover photo

Spencer Elden, who appeared as a naked child on one of rock’s most famous album covers, Nevermind, sues Nirvana, claiming he was sexually abused as a child.

In the California District Court lawsuit against several parties, including members of the band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, and record companies who released or distributed the album over the past three decades , Elden alleges that the defendants produced child pornography. with the photo in which he is shown swimming naked towards a dollar bill with his genitals visible.

The lawsuit charges the defendants with “commercial sexual exploitation of children from his childhood to the present … the defendants intentionally produced, possessed and advertised commercial child pornography depicting Spencer.”

Elden, who was four months old when the photo was taken, says he suffered “lifelong damage” from the 1991 album cover, including “extreme and lasting emotional distress with physical appearances.” as well as a loss of education, wages and the “pleasure of life.” “.

The lawsuit alleges the photo is “sexually graphic”, and says it makes Elden look like “a prostitute, grabbing a dollar bill”. She claims Elden never paid to appear on the cover and her parents never signed a release form for the photo, which was taken specifically for the album cover. It has already been reported that Elden was paid $ 250 for it.

Elden seeks damages of at least $ 150,000 from each of the 15 defendants, plus costs, and requests that the case be tried by a jury. The defendants have yet to respond to the lawsuit and have not commented publicly on it.

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In 2016, Elden recreated the photo with The New York Post to celebrate the album’s 25th anniversary, saying, “It’s wonderful but weird to be a part of something so important I can’t remember . ” That year he also said, “I’ve been wondering lately, what if I wasn’t okay with showing my genitals to everyone? I didn’t really have a choice.”

In 2007, he told the Sunday Times: “It’s pretty scary that a lot of people have seen me naked. I feel like the greatest pornstar in the world.”

Robert Fisher, who designed the cover, said the image was inspired by Kurt Cobain seeing a documentary about babies born underwater. He explained, “He thought the photo would make a great cover.”

Kirk Weddell, who took the picture, told The Guardian in 2019: “I’m still in touch with Spencer. I used to think that when this kid was 16 he would hate my guts! didn’t, but he’s in conflict “Everyone’s making money out of it when they’re not. I think it is worth something. But it’s always the record companies that make the money. “

Source: The Guardian



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