Spencer Elden, 30, who once was portrayed naked for Nirvana's iconic "Nevermind" album cover, is now suing the band's surviving members, claiming that he was unable to consent to being pictured naked and accusing the musicians of violating US federal child pornography laws.
Spencer claims this was sexual exploitation, TMZ writes. The media outlet has obtained legal documents, showing the man's claims that he could not consent to being in the photo at four months old. His legal guardians did not consent either, the man alleges.
On top of that, Elden notes that the band promised to cover his genitals with a sticker on the album cover, but that never happened. The suit also claims that appearing nude as an infant on the cover art has led to "lifelong damages" for the 30-year-old man.
The lawsuit contains the name of the photographer, Kirk Weddle, who was a friend of Elden's father, Rick, who told NPR in 2008 that the photographer invited him to a shoot on a whim and they ended up with one of the most iconic album covers of all time. Elden recreated the image several times and even has the word Nevermind tattooed on his chest.
In 2016, the man told GQ Australia that he was "p****d off" about the album cover. He also revealed that he came to this realisation after failing to get in touch with the band and the photographer who took the photo.
"Just a few months ago, when I was reaching out to Nirvana to see if they wanted to be part of my art show. I was getting referred to their managers and their lawyers. Why am I still on their cover if I'm not that big of a deal?", the man explained.