(CNN)Spencer Elden, who appeared arsenic a bare baby connected the screen of Nirvana's 1991 medium "Nevermind," has claimed the record's iconic artwork is kid pornography and is suing the set implicit alleged "child intersexual exploitation."
The stone album's screen features Elden, past an infant, swimming underwater portion undressed, his eyes fixated connected a 1 dollar bill. It became 1 of the astir enduring images successful stone euphony aft the record's release.
But successful a complaint, filed connected Tuesday astatine a national tribunal successful California and obtained by CNN, Elden's attorneys said the representation was pornographic and that helium has suffered "lifelong damages" arsenic a effect of his involvement.
Elden, present 30, has listed the surviving set members, the executors of pb vocalist Kurt Cobain's estate, and assorted grounds labels arsenic defendants. He is seeking $150,000 successful damages from each of the defendants, positive ineligible costs, and alleges the defendants "knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercialized kid pornography."
The suit alleges Elden was sexualized due to the fact that the dollar measure utilized successful the representation made the babe lucifer "a enactment worker."
Elden has recreated the representation astatine times during his adulthood, but has besides suggested successful interviews helium felt uncomfortable astir the popularity of the medium cover.
In 2007 he told the Sunday Times helium recovered it "kind of creepy that galore radical person seen maine bare ... I consciousness similar the world's biggest porn star." The pursuing twelvemonth he told CNN that helium was often asked to be events arsenic the "Nirvana baby."
"Nevermind" and its pb azygous "Smells Like Teen Spirit" sold millions of copies and helped popularize grunge euphony successful the United States. Both its contented and artwork were heralded arsenic seminal stone works, but 3 years aft its release, Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain died by termination successful Seattle and the remaining members subsequently disbanded.
Elden told CNN successful 2008: "Rumor had it that Cobain had the archetypal conception of wanting to amusement a parent giving commencement nether water." Elden added: "But the compromise was to person a babe swimming nether water. Or truthful that's what I was told."
The suit alleges Elden "has been and volition proceed to endure idiosyncratic wounded by the organisation and possession of kid pornography," including affectional distress and nonaccomplishment of earnings.
Cobain's wife, the vocalist Courtney Love, is listed connected the suit arsenic an executor of Cobain's estate, alongside others including the lensman Kirk Weddle and grounds labels Warner Records and the Universal Music Group. CNN has contacted each enactment for comment.
English (US) ·