Family of Nikki Catsouras Settles With CHP Over Grisly Photos
A family's nightmare gains some measure of closure as it settles with the California Highway Patrol over leaked photos of their daughter's gruesome crash, but removing photos from the Internet could be difficult.
Photos
The 2006 automobile crash on the 241 toll road that killed Nicole "Nikki" Catsouras was traumatic enough for the family of the 18-year-old.
But when two California Highway Patrol dispatchers leaked graphic photos of the gruesome crash scene—and the photos were then posted on thousands of websites—it went from bad to worse.
On Friday, the family of Nikki, commonly referred to on the Internet as "Porsche Girl," reached a $2.375 million settlement with the CHP for its role in releasing the photos that were taken by investigators.
It brings a legal end to the fight between parents Christos and Lesli Catsouras with the CHP, and prevents the two sides from going to a jury trial.
On Dec. 31, 2006, Nikki had taken her father's Porsche without his knowledge and traveled more than 100 mph before she clipped another car and was nearly decapitated while crashing into a toll booth in Lake Forest.
At the time of Nikki's death, her family was protected by authorities from seeing the unrecognizable body. The Catsourases, who live in Ladera Ranch, avoid the Internet so that they don't come across the gruesome photos which were taken by the CHP.
But that hasn't prevented thousands of others from viewing the pictures in an invasion of privacy case against the CHP. Although the case had been thrown out earlier in the lower court, the 4th District Court of Appeal overturned the decision in 2010 and ruled that surviving family members can sue for invasion of privacy in cases such as this.
Although their plight has changed the law, it hasn't prevented the Catsouras family from getting the photos of their disfigured daughter off the Internet, which is what Christos ultimately wants to do. As part of the settlement, the CHP will assist the family in attempting to remove the photos from the Internet.
There is a complete story in the Los Angeles Times.
John
4:10 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Absolutely NOT!!! The CHP had no right to release the photos to the 'public'. It was shameful and irresponsible behavior on their part.
desimal
4:22 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Those photos should not have been release in the fashion they were. I assume it should be possible for the family to use the internet and avoid these photos.
Even then, these privacy issues should be addressed by the courts, because these photos could have eventually made their way to the internet anyway...
She crashed on a public road, and these departments that went to save her are publicly funded, so the photos should've been made available to be released under freedom of information, or any other release of information law.
CriticalThinkerInFV
5:00 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
$2.3 million down the drain because of 2 people with brains the size of a nut.
Rock Star
9:20 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Oh yes CriticalThinkerInFV, if the $2.3 went to you, it wouldn't go down the drain, because you have a brain the size of a marble!
Sam La Sala
7:49 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The headline "Porsche girl" smacks of yellow journalism.
Disturbing.
jollygirl
8:08 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I agree Sam. The Patch adds to the grief of this family with tactics designed to inflame and influence readership.
Mr. Henderson, please talk to your editors about changing this headline.
Martin Henderson
8:48 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
We were just putting a bookend on a case that's been in the news for quite a long time. Thanks for the feedback on the headline; we reworked it.
jollygirl
8:56 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thank you Mr. Henderson. Publishing the article is your job. The headline was a poor choice (probably not yours) but it was a good call to rework it.
B Evans
8:28 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Is it known if anyone involved in leaking photos is still on the job?
Martin Henderson
9:04 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
That's a good question. I'll try to find out.
Bo Bo
9:49 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The way it usually works is the person that relased the photos would know longer be on that job... They get promoted!!!
OC Mom
9:15 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Do you think that the photos were leaked in a non malicious way? For instance, was this to educate and discourage teens from driving under the influence or speeding? While it seems to have caused the family distress, and I'm sorry they lost their daughter the settlement is ridiculous and won't bring their daughter back. This is why our state is going bankrupt.
Martin Henderson
11:12 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The photos would have been handled differently if they were going to be used for an education program, and although I never actually saw "Red Asphalt," I'm pretty sure these photos go beyond the norm. It's bad, and you wouldn't want anyone seeing them if it was a person in your family. And if they were to be used in educational material, there likely would have been a release from the family that would have had to have been signed. Also, they wouldn't use photos that fresh.
OC Mom
11:11 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thanks Martin for clarifying. I was thinking of how they bring in the crashed vehicles and do the simulations for MADD and SADD. But, you're right I guess in this day and age they need signed releases.
Janet Schick
3:37 am on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I just received the photo, as I request news articles on auto & driver safety, as I work with a company that does driver training. I was shocked, and flagged the article as inappropriate. Then I googled and after reading more about the overall history, I have landed here. The silver lining I hope is that maybe in a way it will help bring awareness on many levels & in many ways, and none of this happens to anyone else.
Bo Bo
9:31 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Who pays the tab on this one? The taxpayer or the dumb dumb that released the pictures?
richard
3:02 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
How bout thats life we live we die we cry.everyone dies some how some way. But to advertise those pics and the peeps that serve and protect to leak that...?thats straight mental problems....