Some of the photographs may have depicted underage girls.
The widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has announced that she will file two lawsuits against the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation. According to Crystal Hefner, the foundation holds thousands of albums containing indecent photographs featuring women and possibly underage girls, CBS News reports.
As noted by the publication, Crystal Hefner was removed from the leadership of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation on Monday after she publicly spoke out about the existence of a collection of intimate photographs belonging to her late husband. She stated that the photographs were taken before and after sexual encounters and were unrelated to professional shoots for Playboy. The personal archive contains about 3,000 images taken from the 1960s onward.
"It is important for the public to understand: I am not talking about photographs published in magazines. The issue is how Hugh Hefner's personal albums captured private moments that occurred behind closed doors," she said at a press conference on Tuesday at her attorney Gloria Allred's office.
Some of the photographs may have depicted underage girls. However, Hefner and her attorney did not provide direct evidence for this.
"Crystal has shown courage by speaking out on this issue not only on her own behalf but also for the thousands of other women and possibly girls depicted in the albums or mentioned in Hugh Hefner's personal diary," Allred noted.
Allred pointed out that the foundation may also possess Hugh Hefner's diary, which contains personal information about sexual encounters with women, the menstrual cycle schedules of his partners, and more.
How the foundation obtained these materials after Hefner's death in 2017 and where they are currently located is unknown. Crystal claims that some albums may be in private residences where current owners have digitized them.
According to her, digitizing the photos could violate the privacy of "thousands of people" in the event of a cyberattack or leak. The plaintiff seeks guarantees that the photos will not be disseminated or leaked online.
"I am deeply concerned about the potential leak of these images. One single mistake in the security system could ruin the lives of thousands of people. This is a civil rights issue. Women's bodies are not property. They are not history. And they are not collectibles," Hefner said.
The Hugh M. Hefner Foundation was established in 1964 and, as stated on its website, "promotes groups and ideas that stimulate active debate in our democratic society and reflect Hefner's philosophy of a culture unafraid to challenge views that marginalize certain communities." The foundation advocates for civil rights and funds organizations such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), Planned Parenthood, Marijuana Policy Project, and others.
