(Rob Kardashian's sexually explicit tweets of Blac Chyna could have serious legal consequences.Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Revenge porn is illegal in California, which means Rob Kardashian could face jail time and fines for posting illicit pictures of his ex Blac Chyna on Twitter early Wednesday.
The reality-TV star prompted widespread outrage Wednesday after he tweeted several sexually explicit pictures of Chyna, the model with whom he has a 7-month-old child.
Digital-harassment laws are relatively new. Thirty-eight states and Washington, DC, have something on the books to charge people who use social media to spread sexually explicit photos or videos without the consent of the person featured.
In California, where Kardashian lives, he could face a variety of legal consequences as a result of his actions, including a restraining order that could cause him to lose custody of his daughter.
Business Insider spoke with two lawyers about what legal actions are available to Chyna as well as other victims of digital harassment in California. Here's the deal:
Criminal Court
While digital harassment is a familiar concept, revenge porn has been criminalized under California law only since 2013, and it wasn't until 2014 that anyone was charged under the law.
Under California Penal Code 647(j)(4), Chyna can file a police report, but charges would have to be brought by the state. It is up to the police department to recommend the case to the district attorney, who then decides whether the state pursues criminal charges using taxpayer money.
Under this law, it is illegal to distribute sexual images or videos of someone without his or her consent, so long as it is intended to cause serious emotional distress and so long as the person depicted experiences distress.
"The issue will be establishing that he knew or should have known it would cause her distress and that she actually suffered emotional distress as a result," said Meaghan Zore, a California attorney who specializes in technology policy. "Based on the comments he posted alongside the images/videos, it certainly seems that he intended to cause her emotional distress."
Distributing such images, conversationally known as revenge porn, is considered disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor.
Potential penalty: For a first misdemeanor offense, a perpetrator would face up to six months in jail and/or a $1,ooo fine, according to Zore. If the victim is a minor — which Chyna is not — or if the perpetrator has prior convictions for revenge porn, the punishment may be increased to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine.