Los Angeles: A Playboy model who acknowledged taking a photo of a naked, 70-year-old woman in a locker room and posting it on social media with insulting comments about the woman’s body pleaded not guilty Monday to a misdemeanour count of invasion of privacy.
Defendant Dani Mathers was not in court when her attorney entered the plea on her behalf, City News Service reported. She was not required to attend.
Outside the courtroom, defence attorney Tom Mesereau said Mathers “very much regrets” what happened.
“She apologised for her behaviour and we’re looking forward to resolving this case in a very fair manner,” he said.
The 29-year-old Mathers faced widespread criticism after she shared the photo on Snapchat in July with the caption: “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either.” She later apologised and deleted her social media accounts.
The gym, LA Fitness, reported the posting to police and revoked Mathers’ membership. If convicted, Mathers could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. A pretrial hearing was set for December 21.
Detectives began investigating after the LAPD received a report of “illegal distribution” of the image.
