NJ Mom Sues After Breastfeeding Video Becomes Porn

A New Jersey mother is suing the producer of an instructional breastfeeding video she appeared in with her infant daughter after the video was posted to YouTube and spliced into a pornographic film by a third party.

Maryann Sahoury is a sales and marketing professional from Fair Lawn who, according to her website, worked for nearly 10 years as the Director of Marketing and Special Events with . She says she shot the video for Meredith Video Studios in early 2010.

Initially fearful of breastfeeding, Sahoury overcame her fears with the help of lactation consultant Shari Criso, who asked Sahoury to participate in an instructional breastfeeding video "as a testament to how a first-time mother could overcome her fears and successfully breastfeed a child."

According to court documents, Sahoury agreed to appear in the video "because she felt her own personal experience would be insightful and helpful to other first-time mothers who are considering breastfeeding."

She told NBC New York that breastfeeding was the most rewarding thing she’d ever done in her life. “I wanted to share that with people,” Sahoury said in a television interview. “I wanted to really give back.”

In her suit, Sahoury alleges that the woman in charge of the video production assured her that the finished product would neither disclose her full name nor be used for non-educational purposes.

After shooting the video, Sahoury said the video producer instructed her to sign a waiver document. She signed the waiver without reading it, under the assumption that it confirmed the terms she had previously agreed to verbally.

However, she said she later discovered that the document was an "Authorization and Full Release," which purportedly releases Meredith from any and all claims made by Sahoury at any time regarding the use of her image, voice or name.

A few months later, upon Googling herself, Sahoury said she discovered a pornographic video mashup that combined, "actual footage from the breastfeeding video with pornographic video using a woman with similar features and stature."

“As a mom, it’s really hard to see that,” she told NBC New York. “You don’t want your kids exposed in that world.”

A Google search of "Maryann Sahoury," performed Thursday by Patch returned two full pages of clean content about the Fair Lawn mother, before leading to a list of pornographic video downloads using Sahoury's name on the top of the third page of search results.

Despite initial attempts by Meredith Corporation to have Sahoury’s lawsuit dismissed, a district court judge ruled last week that her complaint should not be dismissed because Sahoury had made sufficient factual allegations to demonstrate claims for fraudulent misrepresentation and that the company “should have known that such careless actions would result in damage to Sahoury and [her daughter].”

In response to the suit, Meredith released a statement that reads:

Meredith was appalled to learn someone misused a video meant to help new mothers. We took immediate action, hiring leading law firms and online specialists to file take-down demands, clear online caches and create positive references. We took these actions even though Ms. Sahoury signed a release authorizing use of the video across all media platforms, and holding Meredith harmless for any potential misuse of the video by a third party.

Sahoury’s attorney told NBC New York that a trial should begin later this year.