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New York professor wins $30M from ex-boyfriend in landmark revenge porn ruling

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New York professor wins M from ex-boyfriend in landmark revenge porn ruling

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A New York court has ordered a Brooklyn comedian to pay out a whopping $30 million to his City University of New York professor ex-girlfriend for a yearslong revenge porn campaign in what her attorney calls the largest verdict awarded for such a case in the state’s history.

Spring Chenoa Cooper, 43, told Fox News Digital that she does not expect to see a dime of the settlement from her ex-boyfriend Ryan Broems – regardless, she said on Friday, the precedence the landmark verdict sets for future victims is what matters.

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“I hope that people see this and realize that there are paths to justice and also that the public does view this as something that isn’t acceptable,” Cooper said. “[Being victimized] is not something that you should be ashamed about, [and non-consensually sharing intimate images] is not something that you can hide from.”

Broems did not show up in court when the verdict was announced on Friday and did not hire an attorney to represent him, Cooper’s attorney, Cali Madia of Daniel Szalkiewicz & Associates, told Fox News Digital.

TEACHER RETURNS TO CLASSROOM AFTER POSTING FORMER STUDENT’S NUDE PHOTOS ONLINE: ‘IT DOESN’T SIT RIGHT’

Ryan Broems was ordered to pay $30 million in restitution to his ex-girlfriend Spring Cooper after he admitted to proliferating her nude images and videos online without her consent. (Spring Chenoa Cooper)

When Cooper broke up with Broems in 2017 after a tumultuous yearlong relationship, according to court documents, he began sending her a barrage of Snapchat videos of himself masturbating and messages demanding to know intimate sexual details of her life. 

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Cooper thought the worst of her ordeal was over when she blocked him – until she received a menacing message from the Tumblr handle Calidaddy26 with the threat “I know who you are, be my personal webslut, or I’ll post you on my slut-exposing blog.”

She ignored the message, and said that soon afterward, strangers began reaching out to tell her that they had seen her nude images and videos posted alongside personal information like her name, employer, title, social media pages and contact information.

“In those moments, my life would stop,” Cooper recalled in her sworn testimony. “No matter where I was, who I was with or what my plans were for the day, my focus needed to immediately be finding the content and advocating for its removal because, as I came to learn, the longer the content is allowed to remain online, the more it will propagate.” 

REVENGE PORN TO BECOME FEDERAL CRIME UNDER BILL, WITH POSSIBLE 2-YEAR IMPRISONMENT

Cooper said that she hopes the landmark settlement makes “a  strong statement to make sure that people don’t commit this crime.” (Spring Chenoa Cooper)

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“I cannot begin to tally the number of people who contacted me to tell me they had seen my naked body and share whatever unsolicited comment about it or their perception of me that popped into their head,” she recalled. 

She successfully filed for a restraining order against Broems – but her nude photos continued to appear online, and the self-styled comedian would take to Twitter to mock her.

“My ex is such a romantic,” he wrote in one of several messages directed at Cooper in 2018. “She just had my Valentine’s Day card hand-delivered by the police and it read: ‘Roses are red, Violets are blue, Please always keep 500ft between me and you.” 

“Sometimes your ex puts you in handcuffs, and not in a hot way,” he wrote in another post after Cooper had contacted police about another post of her images.

TEXAS MAN FACES CHARGES IN REVENGE PORN CASE UNDER STATE LAW HIS SENATOR FATHER HELPED PASS

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Ryan Broems and Spring Cooper dated for about a year before her nude images began repeatedly appearing online. “I thought I really knew him, and he maliciously posted over and over and posted my contact details,” Cooper told Fox News Digital. “It does make you question your ability to really trust people.” (Spring Chenoa Cooper)

Despite many successful pleas to Tumblr and other online venues to take the images down, new ones popped up at least 11 times, with Cooper recalling 2018 as “the year of revenge porn,” she told Fox News Digital. 

Until she filed a civil suit in April 2018, Cooper said Friday, the proliferation of her images showed no sign of slowing.

“He knew that the police would not be able to find any evidence on him,” Cooper said. “The police don’t have the ability to research internet crimes – they don’t have the evidence to hold him.” 

Cooper’s was the first civil suit to be filed under New York City’s revenge porn statute. Under the law, victims can sue for money damages, legal fees and injunctions to block postings. The statute’s criminal component provides for up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for people who commit the crime.

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In criminal court, Broems pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of disclosure of an intimate image in 2021 and was given a no-jail sentence of 26 weeks attending a program for abusive partners, according to court records. 

In court, Broems would gripe that the accusations against him ruined his life, complaining that “no one wants to hire that guy,” according to the New York Post. 

However, in light of Cooper’s suffering, the criminal charge was not enough.

“I was never allowed a day in court and was never able to confront him for what he had done to me… [he] paid no fines and served no jail time for what he did… while [he] has been allowed to move on with his life, I… continue to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of fear,” Cooper said in her testimony.

At the time, Cooper feared that she would lose her tenured position as an associate professor of health and social sciences at CUNY. Although she kept her position and has used her experience to inform her studies, Cooper said that she hopes her all-too-common ordeal helps others learn how to properly support victims of “cyber sexual assault.” 

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“What I first want everyone to understand is that a cyber sexual assault is a sexual assault,” Cooper said Friday. “The mental and emotional things that people go through are the same. I want society to know that and take it seriously. That’s how the survivors will be able to come out and access support. When other people around them don’t know that or victim blame or aren’t able to recognize what this is, the survivors aren’t able to get the support they need.”

An American Psychological Association study conducted in 2020 estimates that one in 12 adults will be the victim of non-consensual pornography – or revenge porn – in their lifetime. 

Cooper has also joined New York’s Cyber Abuse Task Force and said that her own research indicates that victims who engage in some sort of advocacy are more likely to emotionally recover from their trauma in these types of cases. 

Fox News Digital was unable to reach Broems or an attorney who represented him in his criminal case for comment at press time.

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Pennsylvania

PHOTOS: Storm damage across central Pennsylvania

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PHOTOS: Storm damage across central Pennsylvania


HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Gusty storms caused damage across central Pennsylvania, toppling trees onto cars, buildings, utility lines, street lights, and more.

In Harrisburg, the storm left debris from trees strewn about roadways across the city.

Along Front Street near Riverfront Park, numerous trees were toppled in the park and on the roadway. There, Harrisburg’s 4th of July festivities

A large tree took down the traffic light at Front and Chestnut. abc27 News spotted Harrisburg Public Works crews working to clean up the mess.

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Across the river in Lemoyne, trees fell on several parked cars.

An abc27 News photojournalist at the scene saw trees atop two parked cars there.

Back in Harrisburg, a tree branch fell and struck a house on Pennwood Road in the city.

Kaylee Lindenmuth / abc27 News — Pennwood Road at Angenese Street, Harrisburg

East of the city, numerous trees were reported downed as well.

Near Hershey, an abc27 News viewer sent in a photo of a tree which struck a deck.

Another abc27 News viewer in Mechanicsburg shared photos of downed trees in her neighborhood.

Those trees came down in yards and, in one case, on a house.

In York County, downed trees closed Interstate 83 for a time.

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Across the area, over 120,000 power customers were reported out because of the storms.



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Rhode Island

Will Taylor Swift hold a post-wedding bash in Rhode Island?

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Will Taylor Swift hold a post-wedding bash in Rhode Island?


The Fourth of July usually brings about the same question in Westerly: Will Taylor Swift be celebrating at her Watch Hill mansion?

This year, the questions are a little different, as Swift held her wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 3. Now, residents wonder if Watch Hill will be the perfect after-party destination.

From 2013 to 2016, then again in 2023, Swift famously celebrated Independence Day at her Watch Hill house. Rhode Islanders are debating whether these parties will resume for the holiday this year.  

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Nora Alexander, who owns the boutique Noon in Watch Hill, is unsure whether Swift will make an appearance in Rhode Island after her wedding.

“I feel like if I got married last night, I probably wouldn’t want to have a big party, but I’m not Taylor Swift and maybe she’s ready for another grand party,” Alexander says. “She’s known to have some big bashes up there on the fourth, so we’ll see.”

While they question whether the wedding party would already be leaving New York, both Catherine Lawrence and Kelly Bashan wonder if Swift would have a small post-wedding gathering in Rhode Island.

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“Maybe she’ll send some of her family members here instead,” Bashan says.

Miranda Pearce, who works at a store in Watch Hill, does not think that Swift will make it back for the holiday and will stay in New York City after her wedding.

With all of the wedding publicity, Lawrence doubts whether the Watch Hill house offers enough security for the newlyweds.

Pearce says people scope out Swift’s Watch Hill house every year around the Fourth of July, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star through a window or on a balcony.

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What to know about Watch Hill, the RI home of Taylor Swift

This charming seaside village is so much more than just the part-time residence of a major pop star.

With her tight security, especially after the wedding, Lawrence doubts the public would even know if the couple was throwing their first Fourth of July bash as husband and wife in Rhode Island.

But that doesn’t deter some Rhode Islanders from trying to find out.



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Vermont

VT Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for July 4, 2026

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Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win

Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

The Vermont Lottery offers several draw games for those willing to make a bet to win big.

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Those who want to play can enter the MegaBucks and Lucky for Life games as well as the national Powerball and Mega Millions games. Vermont also partners with New Hampshire and Maine for the Tri-State Lottery, which includes the Mega Bucks, Gimme 5 as well as the Pick 3 and Pick 4.

Drawings are held at regular days and times, check the end of this story to see the schedule.

Here’s a look at July 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 4 drawing

17-38-46-50-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 4 drawing

Day: 6-5-3

Evening: 8-0-6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 4 drawing

Day: 9-8-1-3

Evening: 2-9-4-1

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Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from July 4 drawing

06-10-19-22-33, Megaball: 04

Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

For Vermont Lottery prizes up to $499, winners can claim their prize at any authorized Vermont Lottery retailer or at the Vermont Lottery Headquarters by presenting the signed winning ticket for validation. Prizes between $500 and $5,000 can be claimed at any M&T Bank location in Vermont during the Vermont Lottery Office’s business hours, which are 8a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays.

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For prizes over $5,000, claims must be made in person at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. In addition to signing your ticket, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, and a completed claim form.

All prize claims must be submitted within one year of the drawing date. For more information on prize claims or to download a Vermont Lottery Claim Form, visit the Vermont Lottery’s FAQ page or contact their customer service line at (802) 479-5686.

Vermont Lottery Headquarters

1311 US Route 302, Suite 100

Barre, VT

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When are the Vermont Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
  • Pick 3 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
  • Pick 4 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
  • Pick 3 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
  • Pick 4 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
  • Megabucks: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily

What is Vermont Lottery Second Chance?

Vermont’s 2nd Chance lottery lets players enter eligible non-winning instant scratch tickets into a drawing to win cash and/or other prizes. Players must register through the state’s official Lottery website or app. The drawings are held quarterly or are part of an additional promotion, and are done at Pollard Banknote Limited in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Vermont editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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