Academic

?Max Hardcore? Convicted On Obscenity Charges

By Ann Bartow

This is notable because I think it may be the only non-child-pornography obscenity conviction obtained by the Bush Justice Department during the past seven plus years. The indictment came down just over a year ago, and can be viewed here. Press coverage at the time suggested Hardcore was targeted due to the horrifying violence he inflicted on female performers.

Heart posted about Hardcore’s conviction a couple of days ago. I was waiting to see how the NYT and WaPo would cover it. I’m still waiting, since I haven’t seen anything at either paper, as of an hour ago. The Tampa Tribune reported:

This city may be known for its thriving adult entertainment industry, but a federal jury drew the line Thursday, convicting a California movie producer of 10 counts of distributing obscene materials.

Jurors were given the task of deciding whether a series of films starring a character called Max Hardcore, portrayed by Paul Little, violated the community’s standards. After more than 12 hours of deliberations spanning two days, the seven-woman and five-man jury concluded that the films, with their vomiting, violence and urination, were criminally obscene.

The panel convicted defendant Little, 50, and his company, Maxworld Entertainment, of five counts each of distributing obscene materials over the Internet and through the mail. Each count carries a possible maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. …

A couple of the comments that follow the article are written by a woman calling herself “Neesa” who says quite graphically that she was raped and abused by Hardcore.

–Ann Bartow

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on June 10, 2008 (boomark / email).