Spencer Elden, who appeared as the cover star on Nirvana‘s landmark diamond-certified 1991 album “Nevermind” when he was four months old, has amended his lawsuit in regards to the album. The 30-year-old Elden filed suit against the band’s estate, the album cover’s photographer Kirk Weddle and several other related parties this past August, alleging the cover art constituted child pornography/child sexual exploitation.
Elden claims to have suffered “lifelong damages” from his naked infant self being featured on the cover. Elden has previously claimed that his father was originally paid $200 for the photo. Elden has also previously alleged that the band’s camp had promised to cover his exposed genitalia on the cover with a sticker, though that never took place—allegedly due to the insistence of the band’s late frontman Kurt Cobain.
Rolling Stone report that the newly amended lawsuit no longer lists the band’s former drummer Chad Channing, Warner Music, Heather Parry or Guy Oseary as defendants. The amended suit does continue to allege that the images taken were intended to “trigger a visceral sexual response from the viewer” and claim that Weddle also photographed Spencer dressed up as late Playboy magazine kingpin Hugh Hefner.
The amended suit also cites excepts from Cobain‘s personal journals to attempt to further its claims. According to Rolling Stone, the updated paperwork states:
“Undated journals written by Cobain sketch the album cover in a sexual manner, with semen all over it. In several instances, the journals describe Cobain’s twisted vision for the Nevermind album cover, along with his emotional struggles: ‘I like to make incisions into the belly of infants then fuck the incision until the child dies.’”
Elden continues to claim that neither his guardians nor he signed a release to authorize the usage of the image. Hs is seeking a minimum of $150,000 per each of defendants named (which include the Cobain estate, Courtney Love, Weddle, etc.) and has previously demanded a trial by jury.
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