A judge awarded nearly $130,000 to an adult film actress who alleged a fellow actor exposed her to syphilis.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Minning heard testimony Friday from Heather DeAngelo, known in the industry as Lylith Lavey, before ordering Marcus Spencer to pay her $129,360. Spencer did not participate in the court proceedings and was found to be in default.
DeAngelo sued Spencer in September 2012 after finding out he had the communicable disease, according to her complaint alleging fraud, negligence, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress. The scenes involving DeAngelo and Spencer were filmed in July 2012 in Encino, according to court
records.
DeAngelo did not allege she contracted the disease.
Spencer also is known as Mr. Marcus.
A previous judge handling the case wrote in an earlier ruling about Spencer’s disregard of the lawsuit.
“It appears (Spencer) has abandoned his defense of this case,” Judge Amy Hogue wrote.
Hogue stated that DeAngelo believed her career has been hurt by her exposure to syphilis.
“She feels that her reputation in the adult film world has been diminished as a result of filming with (Spencer),” according to Hogue.
In February, De Angelo sued the production company behind the filming, BangBros, alleging the firm should have known Spencer had the communicable disease. BangBros has filed a motion to dismiss her case.
The county issued a temporary moratorium on pornographic filming after the DeAngelo-Spencer incident and implemented stricter requirements to ensure that pornographic producers ensure the safety of the actors, according to the complaint.
