AHF to Seek Review of Case over Condoms on Porn Sets

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on June 24, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A California Appeals Court decision is facing some heat from AIDS groups. The Los Angeles Times reports that a local AIDS group is planning to appeal the California Appeals Court ruling in the Second Appellate District, which shot down the request to order county authorities to take stronger action in preventing the spread of HIV by requiring the use of condoms on porn film sets.

In 2009, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation requested a judge to compel local public health officials to help combat sexually transmitted diseases "stemming from the production of hardcore pornography in Los Angeles County."

In it's 2009 lawsuit, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation sought a writ of mandate to compel the the county officials to issue a regulatory order which would require porn performers to wear condoms on set during sex scenes and to get Hepatitis B vaccinations. The lawsuit was initiated in the wake of a June 2009 revelation that a porn actress had contracted AIDS from working on the set.

Last week, reports the LA Times, the California Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision which defended a county health officer's discretion when protecting public health and thus, refused to compel the officials to take the requested action.

In a press release on June 22, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has stated that they plan to take the action to the California Supreme Court and that STDs were an "epidemic" among adult-film actors.

"We will vigorously pursue this legal avenue with the California Supreme Court in order to try to compel LA County Health officials to safeguard the health and wellbeing of those working in the adult film industry in California," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

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