Parents Ordered to Pay Over $45,000 for Destroying Son’s Porn Stash in Michigan

A judge ordered a Michigan couple to pay over $45,000 in damages for destroying their son's vast pornography collection.

David Werking, 43, sued his parents for trashing what a court described as "a trove of pornography and an array of sex toys."

Beth and Paul Werking were ordered to pay $30,441.54 to their son and $14,519.82 to his attorney by United States District Judge Paul Maloney in Kalamazoo, Mi. Maloney previously approved the son's summary judgment motion but delayed a decision on the damages.

David Werking valued the collection at $25,000. Still, he requested triple damages for what his attorney, Miles Greengard, described as "wanton destruction of the property."

However, the court rejected the son's request for triple damages, which are permissible under Michigan's conversion statute.

Maloney said that Dr. Victoria Hartmann, a defense-hired expert in pornography valuation, estimated the collection's worth to be $30,441.54, the sum he ordered the defendants to pay.

Hartmann was unable to give an estimate for 107 of the titles on the son's list.

They argued that David could not replace a large portion of the collection.

David Werking relocated to his parent's home in late 2016 after a divorce.

The son lived at their Grand Haven home for ten months before moving to Muncie, Indiana. When he moved out, David expected his parents to ship his things to Indiana. Dozens of boxes containing pornographic videos and magazines never showed up.

In an email, his father wrote: "Frankly, David, I did you a big favor getting rid of all this stuff."

"There is no question that the destroyed property was David's property," said U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney. "Defendants repeatedly admitted that they destroyed the property."