A woman has been ordered by a judge to hand over an album of racy photos to her ex-husband as part of divorce proceedings.
Lindsay Marsh, from Utah, in the US, made the "boudoir album" during her 25-year marriage to husband Chris, with the divorce finalised in July this year.
The judge insisted the collection would have to be handed over so that “the words are maintained for memory’s sake".
Eventually it was conceded that the photos could be edited to hide any nudity before being handed over but Ms Marsh says the order left her feeling violated.
She told the Salt Lake Tribune: “It’s violating and it’s incredibly embarrassing and humiliating.”
She continued: “These are things that were sensual and loving that I wrote to my husband that I loved. [He’s] my ex-husband now.
“The only way I can hopefully protect someone else from going through the same situation is to tell my story and expose that these are the types of things that he thinks are OK".
According to Ms Marsh it was the only thing her ex fought to keep during the divorce.
In his ruling Davis County Judge Michael Edwards said the photos could be given to the original photographer to “do whatever it takes to modify” them so that any pics of Marsh “in lingerie or that sort of thing or even without clothing are obscured and taken out”.
According to Ms Marsh, that photographer, who is a close friend, initially refused because “her clients trust her with their images and privacy, (and) she takes that seriously".
Instead the judge ordered Ms Marsh give them to another photographer to edit, someone she believes her ex-husband knew, she told KSL News.
In a panic she called the judge's office. “I just want to clarify … The judge has ordered me to give nude photos of my body to a third party that I don’t know without my consent?” she recalled asking.
Following the furore the original photographer agreed to alter the photos, putting large black boxes over any part of Marsh’s body. The messages were kept untouched.
Marsh has been ordered to keep the original album for 90 days in case her ex demands new edits are made.
After that she plans a party to burn any remaining memorabillia from the marriage.
“It’s going to be amazing,” she told the Tribune.
Her ex Chris claimed the images were not as “intimate” as his ex-wife has said, insisting many had already been posted online or hung up in their home.
“I cherish the loving memories we had for all those years as part of normal and appropriate exchanges between a husband and wife … and sought to preserve that in having the inscriptions,” he told the Tribune.
He said his ex-wife’s take on the order was “not my perspective nor the perspective of an impartial judge.”
“It appears that she has intentionally misrepresented and sensationalized several aspects of a fair proceeding to manipulate the opinions of others for attention and validation of victimhood,” he told KSL.
