Nirvana Baby’s Lawyer Grilled On CNN, Legal Expert Calls Child Porn Lawsuit “Ridiculous”
A couple days ago, the baby on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind, who is now a man named Spencer Elden, filed a lawsuit against the band’s surviving members, Kurt Cobain’s estate, photographer Kirk Weddle, and the labels involved in releasing the album, alleging that the Nevermind cover is child pornography and that its existence is an invasion of his privacy.
One of the lawyers representing the Nevermind baby in the case went on CNN opposite host Chris Cuomo, who grilled her about the lawsuit, including whether or not the image constitutes child pornography or not. The lawyer claims its an “overly sexualized” image and says that it was “child exploitation in the way that they created it and the way they distribute the image today.” She also mentions that Elden is expecting another invasion of his privacy as the album approaches its 30th anniversary, which takes place next month.
Legal experts consulted by The Hollywood Reporter said that the complaint was likely to be dismissed by the courts. One lawyer characterized the suit as “ridiculous.” Another pointed out Elden’s previous support of the image. “I think what will be most troubling for any judge will be the amount of time that has elapsed since the photo was published, the fact the kid’s parents did this knowingly (more or less, but they knew the naked baby was being photographed), and the numerous times that the plaintiff himself embraced the photo and sought publicity for himself,” they said.
Watch the CNN segment below.