Television

Mischa Barton Celebrates Victory In 'Revenge Porn' Case

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By Emily Surpless

The O.C. actress' recent lawsuit has ended with a major win. 

After a sex tape was reportedly shopped around to different media outlets, Mischa Barton took legal action with lawyer Lisa Bloom. Barton sued ex-boyfriend Jon Zacharias, the alleged revenge porn peddler, and on Monday, June 5, 2017, the former romantic partners reached a settlement at Los Angeles Superior Court, as reported by CBS Los Angeles.

In the settlement, which was approved by Superior Court Commissioner James Blancarte, Zacharias agreed to not release any explicit images and to hand over any documentation to Barton and Bloom. He must also keep a minimum distance of 100 yards between Barton and himself at all times.

"I am proud to declare victory for Mischa. She did this not just for herself, but for all women and girls," Bloom said in a statement obtained by People. "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."

Bloom also celebrated her victory with Barton on Twitter with a photo of the pair, hands clasped and arms raised in front of the courthouse. "COURT VICTORY today with Mischa Barton," she wrote. "Distribution of the explicit images banned, ex stays 100 yards away forever."

Barton, 31, previously opened up about the reported sex tape on an episode of Dr. Phil on April 3, 2017. "I didn't know him for that long — it was, like, three to four weeks, it was very fast," she said, regarding her relationship with Zacharias. "I feel very conned by the whole thing. It's somebody I trusted, somebody I thought I loved. I really did think that."

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