Chris Cuomo, CNN anchor and brother of disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, recently spoke with the lawyer representing Spencer Elden in his child p*rnography case against NIRVANA. Cuomo invited Maggie Mabie onto Cuomo Prime Time, sharing his doubt in the legitimacy of the highly publicized lawsuit.
Elden alleges the image of the baby reaching for a dollar in a swimming pool violated federal child p*rnography statutes and argues child sexual exploitation.
Elden claims that his parents never signed a release authorizing the use of the photos, which were taken in a Pasadena aquatic center in 1990. He alleges that the band promised to cover his genitals with a sticker, which was never incorporated into the album art.
Mabie defended her client’s argument on CNN, saying: “The focal point of the image is the minor’s genitalia. And here in that image along with all of the other dose factors as we pled in our complaint, it is a very over-sexualized image, and does constitute child p*rnography. More importantly, it was child exploitation in the way that they created it, and the way that they continue to distribute the image today.”
“I don’t ever remember anybody ever writing or anything being out there in society about this image as a sexualized or p*rnographic image,” Cuomo argued. “I always thought that it was a suggestion of how right out of the womb, people are just grabbing for money and doing anything they can. I thought it was more about capitalism than it was sexuality.”
Mabie added: “Spencer wants this image redacted. He is saying that he doesn’t want his genitalia out there for the world to consume any longer, and if we have this image redacted, that will be a monumental signal for all victims of child p*rnography that their voices are being heard and their privacy is being respected.”
Cuomo went on to criticize Mabie’s child p*rnography claims. “You think that this man is really a good face for the pain of child p*rnography? Somebody who’s made money out of it. Has a tattoo on his chest about it. Has celebrated it at different times in his life and had all this time to reach out about it in the context that you’re offering now, and never did? You really think that this is something that would be comforting to real victims?”
You can watch full clip via Yahoo here.
