Former Baby Depicted On Iconic Nirvana Album Cover, Spencer Elden, Sues Band For Child Porn

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The 30-year-old antheral pictured arsenic a bare babe connected the screen of the multimillion-selling Nirvana medium “Nevermind” filed suit Tuesday successful Los Angeles, alleging the erstwhile members of the grunge-rock trio, assorted grounds companies, creation directors and others violated national transgression kid pornography laws and caused him lifelong suffering by “trafficking” his representation worldwide.

Spencer Elden, of Los Angeles, alleges that his “identity and ineligible sanction are everlastingly tied to the commercialized intersexual exploitation helium experienced arsenic a insignificant which has been distributed and sold worldwide from the clip helium was a babe to the contiguous day,” according to the ailment filed successful Los Angeles national court.

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Messages seeking remark sent to the Universal Music Group and an lawyer who represents Nirvana LLC were not instantly answered.

According to the suit, the defendants “knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercialized kid pornography depicting Spencer, and they knowingly received worth successful speech for doing so. … Despite this knowledge, defendants failed to instrumentality tenable steps to support Spencer and forestall his wide intersexual exploitation and representation trafficking.”

Elden’s parents ne'er signed a merchandise authorizing the usage of the photos taken of the four-month-old babe successful a Pasadena aquatic halfway successful 1990 and Elden received nary compensation, lawyers for the plaintiff allege.

The screen of “Nevermind” — released successful 1991 by the Geffen/UMG statement — depicts a bare babe swimming underwater, seemingly towards a food hook with a dollar measure attached. It is among the best-known medium covers successful rock.

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“To guarantee the medium screen would trigger a visceral intersexual effect from the viewer, (photographer Kirk) Weddle activated Spencer’s `gag reflex’ earlier throwing him underwater successful poses highlighting and emphasizing Spencer’s exposed genitals,” the suit alleges.

The suit contends that the medium screen photograph chosen by Nirvana’s precocious person Kurt Cobain suggests a “sex idiosyncratic grabbing for a dollar bill.”

Elden’s suit alleges the defendants “used kid pornography depicting Spencer arsenic an indispensable constituent of a grounds promotion strategy commonly utilized successful the euphony manufacture to get attention, wherein medium covers posed children successful a sexually provocative mode to summation notoriety, thrust sales, and garner media attention, and captious reviews.”

As a result, Elden “has suffered and volition proceed to endure lifelong damages,” according to the complaint.

The suit seeks either $150,000 from each of the 17 defendants oregon unspecified damages to beryllium determined astatine trial.

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Geffen Records primitively shipped 46,521 copies of “Nevermind” to retailers successful hopes of yet selling 200,000 copies. The album, a cornerstone of the grunge era, yet sold implicit 30 cardinal copies, is often noted for helping bring punk to the mainstream.