Hugh Hefner's widow demands investigation into late husband's foundation
What's the story
Crystal Hefner, the widow of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, has called for an investigation into her late husband's foundation She claims the organization holds his personal scrapbooks and diaries, which allegedly contain sensitive material and explicit photographs of women, including some who may have been underage. The demand was made during a press conference on Tuesday, where she was represented by attorney Gloria Allred.
Allegations
Scrapbooks contain explicit images, possibly of underage girls
Hefner has claimed that the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation is in possession of around 3,000 of her late husband's personal scrapbooks. These scrapbooks reportedly contain thousands of nude images depicting sexual activity and intimate moments. "The materials span decades beginning in the 1960s. And may include images of girls who were underage at the time and could not consent to how their images would be retained or controlled," she said.
Foundation response
Hefner was removed from her position as CEO
Hefner was reportedly removed from her position as CEO and president of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation on Monday after she refused to resign. "The concerns I raised about consent, safety, and security were ignored," she said. In response to her growing concerns about how private photos in the scrapbooks were being handled, she was "unilaterally removed." The foundation has not yet responded to these allegations or Hefner's departure from her position.
Legal action
Complaints have been filed with the attorney general's office
Allred has filed regulatory complaints with the attorney general's offices in California and Illinois, asking for an investigation into how the images are being handled and stored. A spokesperson for the Illinois Attorney General's Office confirmed receipt of the complaint and said it is under review. However, it remains unclear how the foundation got hold of these scrapbooks. Hefner claimed she was told they are in "a storage facility in California."
Demands
'This is not about money, I'm seeking dignity': Hefner
Hefner has made it clear that her demands are not financially motivated. "This is not about money. I am seeking dignity, safety and the destruction of non-consensual intimate materials so that the exploitation does not continue under the banner of philanthropy," she said. "Thousands of women may be affected. This is a civil rights issue. Women's bodies are not property, not history, and not collectibles."