by Jenna Gloeb
A former West Central Area School District board member is suing multiple individuals after resigning last year over a sexually explicit video he posted on Snapchat.
According to the lawsuit, Jared Olson, who recently filed to return to the school board, claims the video was intended for his wife, but was instead shared to his Snapchat “stories” by accident.
The video, in which Olson filmed himself masturbating, was visible for 10 to 15 minutes before he deleted it. In that short time, the video was screen-recorded and spread throughout the community, leading to public outrage and calls for his resignation from the school board.
Olson sues over video distribution
In the lawsuit, Olson names six individuals he says circulated the video without his consent. He accuses one defendant of creating a meme from the video and another of posting a screenshot on a public Facebook page.
The lawsuit claims Olson believed the video was shared privately, and those who viewed it should have recognized it as an accidental post not meant for public consumption or distribution.
“The video is of such a nature that it was created in circumstances where the subject had a reasonable expectation of privacy,” the lawsuit states.
An attorney for the defendants, Joseph Vaccaro, has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying Olson publicly posted the video to Snapchat “where it could be viewed by anyone in the world with a Snapchat account regardless of whether Plaintiff had added them [as] a friend with the ability to see all of his posts or not.”
Vaccaro went on to argue that Olson “consented to the distribution of all content he shared publicly on Snapchat and had explicitly granted Defendants a license to do so by agreeing to the site’s Terms of Service.”
“Plaintiff’s regret and the fact he deleted the video of him masturbating does not abrogate the license he gave Defendants,” he wrote.
Video led to resignation
Olson stepped down from the school board the day after the video first surfaced in October 2023, following a wave of backlash from parents and community members.
At the time, the district confirmed his resignation, stating: “WCA Schools is aware of the posting of an inappropriate video by a member of the Board of Education. Mr. Jared Olson has submitted his resignation from the board, effective immediately.”
Olson, represented by former state representative John Lesch, is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, as well as attorney’s fees and other relief.
The lawsuit, currently pending in Grant County District Court, alleges the defendants’ actions caused Olson significant public embarrassment and damage to his reputation.
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Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
