LOS ANGELES—The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced in a press release Sunday that it intends to file complaints with both Cal/OSHA and the L.A. County Department of Public Health against seven adult producers for shooting in Los Angeles without the use of condoms.
This move comes as the organization trumpets the number of signatures from registered California voters it has collected and will file by today's deadline in order to place its statewide condoms in porn inititative—dubbed the California Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act—on the November 2016 presidential ballot in California. AHF collected a total of 557,136 signatures on its petition, exceeding the necessary number by 191,256.
While announcing these figures both in its press release and at a press conference held Monday morning at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles, AHF also announced its intent to file complaints against the following adult producers for shooting the named productions in Los Angeles on the noted dates without using condoms or taking out film permits:
• James Deen Productions, Stockholm Syndrome, June 28, 2015
• Brazzers, Fourth of July: Big Butt Independence, May 27, 2015
• Zero Tolerance Entertainment, How to Train Your Teen's Ass, May 11, 2015
• BurningAngel Entertainment, Ronda ArouseMe, July 30, 2015
• Evil Angel Video, His Ass Is Mine 2: MILF Edition, May 6, 2015
• Jules Jordan Video, Bra Busters 7, July 15, 2015
• Elegant Angel Productions, Busty Workout, June 27, 2015
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued an initial response to AHF's release/press conference decrying a clause of its proposed measure that states it would "[impose] liability on producers for violations, on certain distributors, on performers if they have a financial interest in the violating film, and on talent agents who knowigly refer performers to noncomplying producers," and adds that it would "[permit] state, performers, or any state resident to enforce violations."
Calling the act the "'Sue a Porn Star' Ballot Measure" because of this clause, the FSC stated in its opposing response, "In his zeal to control and monitor adult film, Michael Weinstein and AIDS Healthcare Foundation have crafted an outrageous initiative that would allow any citizen of the state of California to sue a porn star for not using condoms on film, and gives them a financial incentive to do so. The initiative likewise permits private citizens to sue hotel chains, cable operators and retail outlets for selling or distributing such films. In an effort to patrol community morals, Mr. Weinstein's initiative turns the state courts into a legalized method of stalking, harassment and exploitation of adult film stars."
In regard to AHF's complaints against the seven producers above, FSC CEO Diane Duke told AVN, "Anybody can file a complaint against a company. It takes a lot more to make it stick."
To that end, the seven producers named may not have as much to worry about as AHF would like them to believe, as evidenced by the recent final ruling by Cal/OSHA in the long-running case against gay studio Treasure Island Media for the same violation.
AVN will report more details about this developing story as they become available.
