'Girls Gone Wild' founder Francis ordered to jail

[Scurrilous]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The 'Girls Gone Wild' maker is found to be in contempt after talks to end a lawsuit fall apart.

<snip>

"A federal judge in Panama City, Fla., on Thursday ordered "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis jailed for contempt of court in a civil suit brought by seven young women who claimed the entrepreneur's film crews had placed them in sexually explicit situations.

Francis, the Santa Monica-based multimillionaire who has made a fortune selling risque videos of scantily clad coeds, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak to surrender to court by noon Thursday, but hadn't done so by mid-evening.

Francis told the Associated Press late Thursday that Smoak "had lost his mind."

"This judge has gone as far as to call me the devil and an evildoer," he said. "It is a case of a judge gone wild."

The court order followed a last-minute collapse in settlement talks between Francis' legal team and lawyers for the women, who were filmed on a Florida beach in 2003. The plaintiffs allege that they were "victimized" by Francis' crew by being put in explicit scenes."


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-fi-francis6apr06,1,7028851.story?coll=la-headlines-business-enter

[ClintonTyree]

1. Good

He deserves it. Too bad they can't bankrupt the son of a bitch as well.

[pinniped]

2. Double good, I'm sick of this pimp's stupid commercials flooding the airwaves.

.

[Scurrilous]

3. More:

Joe Francis: 'Baby, give me a kiss' (August 6, 2006)

http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/west/la-tm-gonewild32aug06,0,2664370.story

[Dinger]

17. francis Is One Sick Puppy

That article says it all.

[shrike]

33. So he allegedly raped a young woman, and almost broke a reporter's arm

Nice guy. I don't care what happens to him.

[depakid]

4. If the article is correct then- wow. score another for Florida "justice"

"It is not the judge's role to compel a settlement with the threat of putting one of the parties in jail," said Francis lawyer Jan L. Handzlik, who is appealing the judge's order.
.............

Smoak ordered Francis jailed if an accord had not been reached in the case by Saturday, but he suspended that order when it appeared that a deal had been struck.

So, this guy is exercising his right to trial on the merits- and he's found in contempt and jailed?

[youngdem]

20. Yep. Disgusting.

The law must protect even the least among us. Criminals are rarely popular, but if you don't protect their rights, yours are gone too.

This is a disgusting miscarriage of justice, placing someone in contempt for failing to come up with a compromise. Why aren't both parties subject to the same threat? Otherwise, doesn't this just give the plaintiff an overwhelming upper hand, meaning they could just put their proposal on the table and insist he accept it, and if he doesn't, he goes to jail?

What bullshit. Plus, he didn't put a gun to these girls' heads. He is a disgusting pig, no doubt about it. But these girls have themselves to blame, for the most part.

Hey, here's some advice - don't want to end up on TV making out with a sorority sister? DONT POSE FOR A GIRL'S GONE WILD VIDEO WHILE DRUNK!

Personal responsibility really has died.

[entanglement]

5. Excellent. Behind bars is where pondscum Joe Francis belongs

n/t

[depakid]

7. So if you refuse to settle a case- and demand a trial

Then you should be thrown in jail too?

or does that only apply to "pondscum?"

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

8. I agree.

I guess moral outrage trumps Law and The Constitution these days, around here.

Just like FweePeeVille. :eyes:

[Freeusfromthechurch]

48. I've been away for a few weeks

and thought I was in Freeper-ville for a second.
Thanks for snapping me back Tandalayo_Scheisskopf

[entanglement]

12. He's in jail for contempt of court

He shouted obscenities at the plaintiffs during settlement negotiations with the intent of disrupting them; that's why the judge ordered him jailed if a settlement wasn't reached by Saturday

And yes, he's pond scum, at least by my standards. This (somewhat lengthy) article from the LA times should help.

http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/west/la-tm-gonewild32aug06,0,2664370.story

[Wilber_Stool]

6. Oh, the poor little victims.

Maybe they shouldn't be allowed to drive a car or vote either.

[IronScorpio5]

10. Exactly

when do people take responsibility for their actions?

[Evergreen Emerald]

25. how far do you take that sentiment?

What about assault outside a night club? Date rape? Fraud? Whose fault is it, really?

[enki23]

37. well, those aren't too hard:

assault: the fault of the one doing the assaulting
date rape: the fault of the one who does the raping
fraud: the one who defrauded another

this case, however, isn't a criminal case of assualt, date rape, or fraud, so i don't see how those apply. he's not exactly a compelling character, but that doesn't mean he's beneath the law. if the girls were defrauded, then charges should be brought. if they were coerced into sexual acts, charges should be brought. if they were assaulted, charges should be brought.

but if he's guilty, throw the book at the fuck. or, if it's the only serious option, sue him for every penny he has. i don't give a damn. the guy is clearly fucking scum. it's just that the legal system has to apply to scum too.

[Wilber_Stool]

39. The fact is

that when anyone gets falling down drunk, they open the door to some pretty nasty consequences. Men tend to get the shit beat out of them and women have sex with men they might prefer not to. What we're talking about here is complicity. I may have the right to walk down the street with hundred dollar bills hagging out of my pocket, but I can hardly be surprised if I get robbed.

[bleedingheart]

54. but the person who preys upon those who are too weak to defend themselves

is still a criminal.

There are a lot of folks that society feels should "know better"...however every day there is some elderly person getting robbed of their savings by an asshole who tells him/her that the roof needs a repair...So I guess since they are old and perhaps losing their ability to tell the difference between a "concerned person" and an asshole makes them ripe for the picking?

The same goes for people who are intoxicated....

There are loads of people who fall for scams for different reasons...but does that make the scammer less guilty?

[shrike]

58. Why bother with laws?

If you're too stupid, too drunk, or too old to protect yourself from a scammer/criminal, why punish the scammer/criminal?

I'm being sarcastic here . . .

[Eagle_Eye]

9. Joe Francis is such a fine roll model for America's youth

From the news report:

"Judge Smoak's ruling came about a week after Francis disrupted a court-ordered mediation session, cursing prosecuting attorneys, and refusing to settle. The judge ordered Francis to reimburse attorneys for mediation costs and serve jail time until he could come to some type of settlement. Thursday, Francis appealed the judge's order."

Girls Gone Wild Founder Joe Francis Avoids Jail, Again
http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/6895157.html

Francis Challenges Jail Order
http://www.wmbb.com/gulfcoastwest/mbb/news.apx.-content-articles-MBB-2007-04-05-0004.html

[speedingbullet]

27. Odd

Francis is a turd, but I don't understand the lawsuit. Why are "prosecuting attorneys" involved in a civil suit?

[Tyler Durden]

11. Two Questions:

ONE
Did the participants in these videos declare themselves at or above the legal age of consent in the states where these videos were made?

TWO
Was their participation willing and uncoerced, without restrain or compulsion?

If the answer to these two questions is YES, then I'm afraid that:

ONE
Joe Francis is innocent of any form of legal wrongdoing, and...

TWO
The judge's comments that he was a devil or evildoer were inappropriate, and possibly actionable under law along with his contempt findings, and...

THREE
These little bimbos (YEAH, I said BIMBOS) are responsible for their own actions, and if they decide to flash the entire country for ANY reason, then it's their own bad taste.

[fasttense]

14. Now a days everyone knows about that these Girls Gone Wild videos.

So if they chose to participate they know what they are getting into.

But initially, Francis would take a group of 16 and 17 year olds (girls and boys), get them drunk, (not just a little drunk, but totally, can't remember what I did drunk). Then he would talk them into getting naked and having sex.

I hope they sue the pants off of him. But I hope they do it legally so that he can't wiggle out of it.

[Tyler Durden]

16. If that is the truth, fine.

If, however, this suit is from a bunch of Young Adults who on waking up from their Spring Break Bacchanal want to pull the "JESUS was I DRUNK last night" bit, then they have no one to blame but themselves.

We don't excuse drunk drivers either.

[IronScorpio5]

24. oh boy....

These little bimbos (YEAH, I said BIMBOS) are responsible for their own actions, and if they decide to flash the entire country for ANY reason, then it's their own bad taste.


some people might find that politically insensitive.

[Tyler Durden]

30. A young person, male or female...

...of college age, going to Florida to get sloppy drunk for a week of stupid dangerous games and random sex is a BIMBO.

[Codeine]

61. That's because some people

are entirely over-sensitive.

I guarantee if this had been some drunk frat boys pissed off about somebody filming them flopping their junk around there would be ZERO sympathy here (and rightfully so.) Being a stupid-ass drunk doesn't absolve you of responsibility for your own stupidity.

[LynneSin]

51. Yes you are responsible for your own actions however.....

....Frances purposively goes around to clubs and spring break sites in order to single out women who are drunk enough to do one of his videos. And if you read the LA Times article you'll see that the bus provides additional alcoholic refreshments for these girls.

Frances is a predator and the fact that he's gone after underage girls shows that he warrants a very long time in jail.

At least when you watch porn made by the porn industry you know that the women who are doing these movies were paid for their performance in something other than a tee-shirt. Even the porn industry finds Frances a creep and a predator

[Darth_Kitten]

59. If the girls are bimbos, what does that make the classy guys.....

who buy this shit?

Girls who Flash = Bimbos

Guys with nothing better to do in their pathetic lives than buy this crap = ????

All for personal responsibility, but all around.

I like the fact that so much misplaced energy is going to defend this guy.
That's what the dregs of society really need, more people defending them.
:sarcasm:

[sam sarrha]

13. he has the money to pay the "women" off.. they probably signed a contract, new what they were doing

had fun doing it.. sounds like the case had no merit to begin with till he had the tantrum then he forfeits any credence.. give the 'Women' the money.. if they are 18 and can sign a contract they are NOT GIRLs. that is spin, the real thing is he probably isn't giving enough campaign contributions to the GOP.. anyone from the dark side not pay'n dues for making money goes to jail.

i think he should be put in jail for putting that crap,'their obscene commercials', on the TV.. it is on every chanel late night to early morning..sometimes not late enough.. i CANT BELIEVE he hasn't been charged with obscenity unless he gives a lot of money to the RepugNuts.. which of course he does.. unless this is a shot across his bow for NOT giving his share to them..

[sam sarrha]

15. actually as i reread it.. it sounds like he just cheated them out of their money..

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

19. if that is the case,

then this is a simple contract dispute. If he'd been a bar owner who promised to pay these women for singing at his bar and they did but he refused to pay, there would be no headlines. The notoriety of the Girls Gone Wild videos are getting in the way of what this lawsuit is really about, it seems.

BTW, I've read accounts where underage girls were given alcohol and then sexually exploited. Both of those are crimes, and I hope ANYONE who does such things is prosecuted.

[sam sarrha]

35. of course, the article is vague, makes me suspect a spinn job

[dysfunctional press]

64. it's like a girl who didn't even know she had been raped- until the check bounced.

nt

[bettyellen]

65. and everyone knows it's impossible to rape a whore or a slut right?

i bet a lot of men actually believe that statement. You seem to.

[dysfunctional press]

67. put words in people's mouths much? besides here?

the scenario my post implied would be that of a prostitute who accepts a check for services rendered- but when the check bounces- what had been a mutually consensual business arrangement turns into rape, because since she had effectively not been paid- the sex had now become against her will.

it was actually the caption on a cartoon i saw a long time ago- a prostitute is sitting at a detective's desk in a police station, filing a report...the caption reads: "i didn't even know i had been raped, until the check bounced"

it doesn't have anything to do with your stated subject line, but you can read any meaning into it you want for yourself -it's a free country.

just don't try telling me what i'm thinking.

[bettyellen]

69. you're the one joking about whores and rape sir..it's you who makes some sort of judgement that

the gals who flashed for free have a connection to prostitutes who lie. that's a stretch made only buy the kind of man who categorizes women as whores and good girls. there's so much misogyny on this thread your post and the lame joke it contains, sadly enough, fits right in.

[dysfunctional press]

70. ...

:eyes:
:eyes:
:eyes:

[robcon]

18. two conclusions

1. Francis is a awful human being.

2. Those who performed for his cameras are responsible for what they did.

[LostinVA]

21. Good -- that scum should be locked up for decades

Sickening. And, He gives the legit adult industry a bad name.

[oneinok]

22. Wow, this sounds like a Duke Lacross thread

Recall if you would how this board attacked the Duke players when someone cried foul.

This thread sounds just like it did when people here called for prison time for Duke players who weren't even present in the house when a stripper screamed rape.

[Gen. Jack D. Ripper]

32. Yeah, well

the innocent lacross angels of Duke aside, this guy is a schmuck. his videos are exploitation at it's fullest and, entrepreneurial or not, it's a bad deal. admittedly, being a smug dick isn't against the law, but if this guy has to spend a few nights in jail and maybe, just maybe, has that prick smile wiped off his face for a while, well, what's wrong with a few of us taking some enjoyment in that?

[Malikshah]

66. Please...the only similarity is that the accused is male. Francis

has a reputation for being scum. He prides himself on being a multi-millionaire by any means necessary and unlike some others who've made money pandering to prurient interests, he does it by finding folks who are not fully within their faculties...and then lays all responsibility on them--

[jollyreaper2112]

23. a good test of the law AND your own character

I believe there's a lot of truth in the saying "You can tell a lot from a society by how it's prisoners are treated." And I would extend that to how our worst offenders are treated in a court of law. The more an individual is hated by society, the more important it is to make sure that the trial is a model of process, something that can be held up as a golden example for future judges and lawyers to follow.

Once you start chucking the rules for "pond scum," you may as well chuck it for average joes as well.

Also, don't be so quick to make the women out to be innocent widdle girls who don't know how the world works. Women have just as much mental processing power as men. Don't pose for nudie shots in public unless you're comfortable with the whole world seeing it.

There are consequences to your actions in life. If a woman decides to go on a date with Mike Tyson, a known rapist, she shouldn't be surprised if she gets raped. If a woman decides to go on a date with Sean Connery, a man known to smack women around, she shouldn't be surprised if he smacks her. Does this mean that the man is absolved of the evil of his actions? Of course, not. Those crimes should be punished. But would all the jail time in the world unrape or unmurder a woman? No. There was a Darwin Award a while back about some drunken indian guys who tried to put a festive garland around a tiger's neck in the zoo because they wanted to share new year's cheer. Both of them were mauled and one died. Do they bear some of the responsibility for putting themselves in a dangerous situation with a vicious animal who will only do what vicious animals do? I think so.

Moral of the story: you have to be careful in life; just because everybody agrees it's a shame doesn't mean you get a do-over.

[Iris]

44. Interesting post, especially this - "unless you're comfortable with the whole world seeing it."

It seems like this should be a part of media-literacy for every young girl. Someone should be constantly reminding them that whatever they do these days could end up completely out of their hands. A video or photo made as a 15 or 16 year old could float around on the internet for years to come. And along with it, maybe someone could teach their bodies deserve better than to be treated like meat - even if they are the ones who are treating their bodies that way.

[orpupilofnature57]

26. Him and Max hardcore are soliciting misogyny ,promoting it, is buying it.

Being it, is a much deeper message about esteem and playing a role we " Men " Have created ,and paid homage to.

[Iris]

45. good point.

And women who dare to verbalize any concern or disgust for this type of thing are shouted down all around.

(Of course, this post may seem contradictory to my post above, but it's a complex issue. And my point there is maybe women ought to just start standing up for themselves and refuse to take part in misogyny as product.)

[Javaman]

28. Man, I love the Joe Francis threads...

they are so popcorn worthy.

:popcorn:

[Nevernose]

60. You and me both, brother!

You and me both!

:toast:

[quiet.american]

29. For those who don't know much about this guy, check out this LA Times profile.

Joe Francis: "Baby, Give Me a Kiss"
http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/west/la-tm-gonewild32aug06,0,2664370.story

excerpt:

Tonight we had spent almost five hours in a sweaty nightclub, crowded with 2,500 very young and very drunk people. Clubs like this are fertile fields for Francis. He's made a fortune selling videos of women who agree to flash their breasts and French-kiss their friends for the cameras. In exchange, a girl who goes wild will receive a T-shirt, a pair of panties, maybe a trucker hat. It had been a typical night for him. He'd scoured the club, recruiting young and, for the most part, intoxicated women. Because filming wasn't allowed inside, he and his newly discovered entourage had stepped outside, heading for the confines of a "Girls Gone Wild" tour bus parked across the street.

Before climbing aboard, he walks in my direction, and the next thing I know, he's acting out his 2003 arrest on me.

I wriggle free and punch him in the face, closed-fist but not too hard.

"Damn," bystanders say. Francis barely blinks. He snatches at my notebook. He is amped, his broad face sneering as he does a sort of boxer's skip around me, jabbering, grabbing at my arms and my stomach as I try to move away, clutching my notebook to my chest. He stabs a finger in my face, shouting, "You don't care about the 1st Amendment. I care about the 1st Amendment, but you are the kind of reporter who doesn't care."

[Akoto]

31. Well ...

I don't really know what to say about the case. If the plaintiffs were completely consensual and willing (not physically/mentally forced, drugged, etc), then I don't see how the plaintiffs' claims of victimization can stand. Unless you plan to be a porn star, doing explicit things for a camera crew of strangers is not a particularly enlightened decision. Sorry, that's how I feel, whether it's man or a woman.

If they weren't completely consensual, then yes, I hope Francis gets what's coming to him. That's a despicable act and he shouldn't be allowed to profit from taking advantage of his victims' compromised states.

What really made me double-take was the judge. I'd expect terms like "devil" and "evildoer" from a witch hunter, or perhaps a superhero, but not from a district judge. I don't care about the circumstances, that's unprofessional and speaks of bias.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Scout1071]

36. Most of them aren't old enough to drink.

Get the point now? Many of them are teenage girls.

And your sluts comment is downright offensive. Do you think every single girl teenage girl that he's gotten drunk and talked into flashing for his cameras is a slut and deserves what she gets?

I hope that you have a daughter one day. And I hope that she goes on vacation with her friends and is exactly the type of girl that Joe Francis takes advantage of. We'll see if you think she deserves the tag of "slut" and that she "gets what she deserves."

This guy is disgusting. He plies the youngest of women (and girls) with huge amounts of alcohol and then takes advantage of them in the most hideous of ways. And they have no recourse.

[Gen. Jack D. Ripper]

38. These girls do have some responsibility

I agree this guy is a gaping ass hole, but these girls, however young, are not helpless. They need to take accountability for their actions as well.

I remember seeing a video of a young woman who is approached by Francis and asked to flash or something to that affect, she just tossed her drink in his face and walked away. Why don't more of these girls make the same choice?

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NashVegas]

46. "Sluts"?

I don't think very highly of the girls in these vids, but it sure sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder ...

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[High Plains]

41. Ah, the prison rape advocates make an appearance.

[EnviroBat]

43. Well the term "Goes Wild" could mean many things...

But you've made it clear where your priorities are...

[TexasLawyer]

42. damaged professional lives

For many of these young women, their appearance in a GGW video will haunt their lives forever.

At my law school several years back, we had a young woman who posed WITH CLOTHES ON in a Playboy "Girls of the Big 10" photo spread. She said that she almost did not get into law school because of it. The admissions committee found out about it, grilled her on it and admitted her conditionally.

For some, it won't matter, but for many, especially the college girls gone wild, there will be many regrets.

[Iris]

47. I tried to make a similar point earlier.

Girls need to get the message from someone that, although they may have the RIGHT to do what they want with their bodies, there could still be consequences. And in this day and age, this sort of thing doesn't just "disappear" - a photo taken today could float around the internet for years and years.

I did hear a piece on NPR a few months back about a book someone had written about "Raunch culture" and when the author interviewed young women about this, they didn't see a problem with appearing in the videos "unless you planned to be in politics."

[Marnieworld]

50. I wish the article had any information about the suit itself

I don't know how they were placed in situations.

It's all consentual as far as I know. They must have signed release forms or else they'd be suing over that. There is no mention of force or intimidation. I think this is a case of regret for the girls (I have a lot of regret too who can I sue?) and a shake-down.

I also think the judge, if the quotes are correct is definitely biased and inappropriate.

How does one get "put in explicit scenes" without consenting? I need more information and I don't understand the celebration in this thread over it.

[earth mom]

52. Good! That a$$hole is a total predator!

He preys on young women when they are at their most vulnerable, profits hugely from it and then complains when people call him on it?! :wtf:

Toss him in jail and throw away the key! :puke:

[oneinok]

56. Girls wanted bigger parts

I hear the big complaint from the girls was hat they wanted bigger parts in the movie. Talk about greed.

[earth mom]

63. There you go...blaming the victims.

:eyes:

[Marie26]

55. Buh-bye, Francis. nt

[Bassic]

57. Well now, that is very fitting.

I wonder if he'll start producing his damn videos again, once he gets out.

[colorado_ufo]

62. Best way to get this sleazeball is right where it hurts - his wallet.

Francis and his mav-el-ous entourage decided to recently grace our growing, but still small-town, community with their upscale presence - no doubt lured by the oil and gas industry and the number of highly paid young men and women who are part of it. The "rules of engagement" set by the local nightclub owner were that nothing inappropriate was to go on in his establishment; however, when it came to activities inside the van that was parked off-premises, people could do "whatever they wanted."

The result? The 600-capacity nightclub was "packed" with 250 people. The local newspaper billed it as, "Girls Gone Mild." Perhaps it would have been better billed as "Girls Gone Smart."

Buh-bye, Joe, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out of town.

[symbolman]

68. Maybe we'll get to see

"Prisoners Gone Wild" videos in the future.. though I don't think he'd enjoy that as much :)