More Girls Gone Wild Victims and Lawsuits
More Girls Gone Wild Victims and Lawsuits Save Email Print
Posted: 5:51 PM Mar 21, 2008
Last Updated: 3:32 PM Mar 24, 2008


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There's a new lawsuit against Joe Francis, and his various Girls Gone Wild companies, for his activities during Spring Break at Panama City Beach. The four alleged victims say they want some of Francis' money, but they also want the government to shut-down his companies.

They alleged the illegal activity took place during Girls Gone Wild taping during Spring Break in 2000, 2002 and 2003. The new claims Francis and his crews videotaped underage girls either exposing themselves, or committing sex acts.

The part of the complaint from 2000 accuses Francis' camera crews of videotaping 4-underage local girls exposing their breasts. Two of the girls involved were 13-years old at the time.

The 2002 incident involved a 17-year-old Mississippi high school student, who was here on Spring Break with a group of friends. She claims Francis' crews gave her alcohol, spiked with some kind of drugs. She claims she was induced to perform sex acts with another female while a camera person taped the acts.

The 2003 incident involves a Panama City Beach teen who was 16-years old at the time. She claims Francis' crews took her and a group of her friends to the Chateau Motel and offered them money to perform for the cameras. She claims francis walked into the room as 2-other underage girls were performing sex acts on each other in a shower.

She says Francis took her and another girl to an adjoining room, where he paid each of them 50-dollars and forced them to perform a sex act on him.

Francis was convicted of 2-counts of prostitution last week for this incident. The shower acts taking place next door involved the 2-girls who sued Francis, a lawsuit he settled last spring.

In each of the new cases, the girls claim Francis or Girls Gone Wild representatives were aware they were underage. The lawsuit accuses Francis and his companies of racketeering, exploitation and victimizing underage women.

The girls claim they've lost jobs and educational opportunities because of their incidents with Girls Gone Wild. Their lawyers are asking for damages to compensate the girls for physical, mental and financial harm, as well as legal costs.

But they are also asking the government to shut-down Francis' companies, prohibiting them from engaging or investing in any future activities involving the commercial exploitation of female images for commercial financial gain, including the Girls Gone Wild series.

In other words, they want the government to put Joe Francis out of business.

The 4-alleged victims are being represented by some of the same lawyers who represented 2-girls Francis settled with last year.

The federal case is assigned to Judge Richard Smoak of Panama City. That's the same Federal Judge who jailed Francis for contempt of court last year. The contempt stemmed from Francis' behavior during settlement negotiations in the lawsuit filed by those two girls from the shower scene. Francis eventually settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum of money.

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Posted by: Stupid People Location: Panama City on Mar 24, 2008 at 01:23 PM
OMG lets just wait four years and say hey lets sue I want some money. If this has damaged you emotionally like you say it has you would have did something when it first happen. Im not saying that I agree witih what he's doing but lets not wait four years to say hey it happen to me to omg grow up

Posted by: Pam on Mar 24, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Of course Joe Francis should be held responsible for what he has done, but where is the accountibility on the part of these girls. They want to blame everyone else and take absolutely no responsibility for what they did.

Posted by: Dave Location: Santa Rosa Beach on Mar 23, 2008 at 10:39 AM
girls gone wild didn't force these " victims " to make complete utter fools of themselves , they just gave them the chance to "out fool" the "victim" next to them and I for one wish SOMEONE in the PRESS would write about what is really going on here - as in girl B for some reason feeling the need to out do girl A , who in turn is "outdone " by girl C etc. etc. And - maybe write about how the PCB TDC set up this enviroment by " inviting " the MTV's of this world to come here . I mean exactly what did these people think was going to happen ? or don't they watch MTV ? Be it money or attention everyone got EXACTLY what they wanted . Also - If any girls were underage ... maybe you should ask their parents why their daughters weren't at home that night, or at least in a supervised / safe place. Maybe the girls should be sueing their parents instead ? This whole debactle reminds me of an old saying ,, something about reaping something...can't quite put my toungue on it..can you ?

Posted by: me Location: panama city on Mar 22, 2008 at 05:49 PM
why did it take all this time to come forward..what a bunch of hogwash

Posted by: john Location: bertram on Mar 22, 2008 at 01:17 AM
I cannot condone any of Mr. Francis,s actions or the method he uses to make his living, but the four people involved in the lawsuit were not innocent by standers. I thinks it great that they wish to see his company and now magazine shut down but give it up people, you and your parents were enablers as to what happened and for that you need not receive the stupid prize in dollars and cents. Take the knowledge you have obtained from the experience and put it to use by not putting yourselves in the enviroment for this to happen again. Society needs to realize, along with the court system that vanity and stupidity are not virtues to be rewarded and that lessons learned are valuable compensation.

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