California School District Faces Lawsuit After Student Shares AI Nude Photos of Classmate
A California school district is reportedly being sued after a student allegedly sent AI nude photos of her classmate.
Las Virgenes Unified School District, which is based in Calabasas, California, is facing a civil lawsuit after a student allegedly used AI to create nude images of a classmate and shared them with others at their school.
The victim’s family claims the district failed to take proper action despite ongoing reports of harassment and bullying that lasted seven months.
“For months, my daughter was silenced while the district turned a blind eye. This lawsuit isn’t just about justice… it’s about protecting every student who’s ever been dismissed, ignored, or retraumatized,” the student’s mother says in a statement.
According to a report by ABC 7 Eyewitness News, the events reportedly took place nearly two years ago at Calabasas High School. The victim says another female student secretly filmed her in the shower and later used AI tools to place her face onto nude bodies. Some of the resulting images were allegedly uploaded to a pornographic website.
“I never thought that if I left the door cracked a little open because my shower gets too steamy that pictures of me would end up all over my school. It was terrifying,” the student told ABC 7 Eyewitness News last year.
The news outlet says it contacted the Las Virgenes Unified School District for comment about the lawsuit, but has not received a response.
In 2020, California passed a law that allows victims of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes to sue the people who created and distributed the material. A plaintiff can recover up to $150,000 in damages if the perpetrator is found to have committed the act with malice. But it’s unclear whether the law has ever resulted in damages being awarded.
The case highlights a growing issue for schools and law enforcement, as they struggle to address AI-generated nude images amid the technology’s increasing use. In March 2024, two teenage boys in Miami, Florida, were arrested for allegedly producing deepfake nude images of their classmates — believed to be the first U.S. case involving criminal charges for AI-generated sexual content.
Earlier this week, it was reported that a 17-year-old boy from Spain is being investigated by police on suspicion of using AI to create fake nude videos of his female schoolmates that he intended to sell online. The investigation suggests the problem is escalating, with teens now using AI to create not only fake images but also potentially explicit deepfake videos.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
