It's been more than a year and a half since authorities in Lackawanna County, Pa. raided the home of photographer Kathryn Lesoine and seized her computer, some writings, some equipment and some photographs and negatives. \n Lesoine got everything back except the photographs and negatives, including several of her niece and two friends, then aged 15 and 16, cavorting in the nude in the spray of an outdoor shower. The pictures were taken in July 1995. \n Lesoine has not been charged with any crime and the district attorney has acknowledged that her photos were not pornographic or obscene. But they won't give them back. The official response is that a criminal investigation remains open. \n That's not good enough for Lesoine, who has filed suit against the county, the district attorney's office and the police officer who conducted the raid. She claims her civil rights have been violated, including her First Amendment freedom of expression, which she exercises through photography. \n But Lesoine doesn't have the only suit related to this incident. The parents of one of the girls she photographed has filed a civil suit against the photographer and her husband, William Chamberlin, charging that the pictures have "lascivious exhibition of the genitals" and that Lesoine violated the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation Act of 1986, invaded the girl's privacy and inflicted emotional distress. \n Lesoine charges that the parents of this girl were given copies of the photos by the district attorney to use as evidence in the trial. \n Apparently, it was through the parents of these girls that the district attorney's office first learned of the existence of the photos. \n The government has no right to continue to hold onto the pictures, said a lawyer for Lesoine. He called it very intimidating and very chilling.
All models were at least 18 years old at the time of their performance. 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement.
