Overview
Federal civil suit filed February 18, 2025 in the Southern District of Florida (Miami Division) by streamer Jane Doe (Pxie) against Steven K. Bonnell II (“Destiny”). The complaint alleges Bonnell shared an intimate video of the plaintiff with a third-party Discord user known as “Rose” in October 2022; that video was leaked to KiwiFarms in November 2024 along with ~26 other clips and roughly 300 pages of chat logs. Plaintiff seeks >$1 million in damages under the federal intimate-image-protection statute, Florida’s cyber sexual harassment law, and privacy / intentional-infliction-of-emotional-distress theories.
The case’s factual predicate is now contested in a specific way: the Discord account “Rose” that Destiny believed he was communicating with was controlled by an anonymous UK-based catfisher known as “Solo” / “Solo (Ben Conway),” not by the real Rose (AH) whose identity and photos Solo had stolen. Under sworn deposition (October 23, 2025), Rose confirmed she never messaged or spoke with Destiny and never consented to Solo’s leak.
Case Information
- Case Number: 1:25-cv-20757
- Court: U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
- Judge: Hon. Jacqueline Becerra
- Magistrate: Hon. Edwin G. Torres
- Filed: February 18, 2025
- Trial originally scheduled: May 18, 2026 (plaintiff moved to continue, ECF 227)
- Protective order: ECF 116
Parties
Plaintiff — Jane Doe (Pxie)
- Joan Schlump Peters (JSP Law, LLC)
- Gustavo Daniel Lage (Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Crespo, Et Al.)
- Carlos Alberto Garcia Perez (SMGQ Law)
Defendant — Steven K. Bonnell II
- Jake A. Camara (Berk Brettler LLP)
- Andrew B. Brettler (Berk Brettler LLP)
- Robert L. Raskopf (Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP)
- Patricia Marie Patino (Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP)
Key Docket Entries (visible on PacerMonitor April 17, 2026)
| ECF | Date | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 18, 2025 | Complaint (not reviewed directly — summarized via press coverage) |
| 23 | — | Scheduling Order (trial date set; “no extensions absent extraordinary circumstances”) |
| 116 | — | Protective Order (governs deposition confidentiality) |
| 132 | Sep 19, 2025 | Bonnell MTD (12(b)(1) factual attack; April 2022 transmission predates CARDII; Abbymc subpoena history) |
| 139 | Oct 3, 2025 | Plaintiff’s opposition to MTD (intertwined merits doctrine; Discord CDN reachability theory; false Footnote 2 minor allegation) |
| 163 | Nov 2025 | Bonnell motion for protective order / deposition scheduling (after Plaintiff no-showed Nov 3 deposition; requests $10,875 fees) |
| 167 | Nov 5, 2025 | Stay Order — Bonnell deposition stayed pending ECF 163 ruling |
| 183 | Dec 1, 2025 | Bonnell Rule 11 sanctions motion (AH deposition confirms Solo catfishing; Plaintiff refused to retract Footnote 2) |
| 184 | Dec 4, 2025 | Plaintiff’s first motion to modify scheduling order (expressly requested trial date remain unchanged) |
| 186 | — | Motion for sanctions re: Plaintiff’s Nov 3 deposition no-show (referenced via ECF 229; 90 days expiring Apr 10, 2026) |
| 204-1 | Jan 7, 2026 | Exhibit A: Rose deposition — Doe v Bonnell (Oct 23, 2025 transcript, 91 pp.) |
| 210 | Jan 30, 2026 | Bonnell MSJ (post-discovery record; Peña concedes April 2022 date; AH deposition in record; Plaintiff admits no post-CARDII evidence at June 3, 2025 hearing) |
| 216 | Feb 13, 2026 | Plaintiff’s Rule 56(d) motion (Bonnell never deposed; Göransson Hague Convention pending; requests deferral) |
| 218 | Feb 26, 2026 | Bonnell opposition to Rule 56(d) (Plaintiff’s own inaction caused discovery failures; no good cause shown) |
| 222 | Mar 30, 2026 | Bonnell omnibus MIL (three exclusion requests: false minor allegation, Abbymc evidence, trial pseudonym) |
| 224 | — | Plaintiff’s MIL (sought to exclude consent evidence, sexual history, Bonnell’s documents, Solo evidence) |
| 227 | Apr 8, 2026 | Plaintiff’s Motion to Continue Trial |
| 228 | Apr 10, 2026 | Order setting continuance hearing April 21, 2026, 8:30 a.m., Courtroom 11-4 |
| 229 | Apr 10, 2026 | Notice of ninety days expiring (ECF 186 sanctions motion) |
| 230 | Apr 13, 2026 | Bonnell opposition to Plaintiff’s MIL (consent evidence essential to CARDII elements; Rule 412 inapplicable) |
| 231 | Apr 13, 2026 | Plaintiff opposition to Bonnell omnibus MIL (Rose deposition; Abbymc subpoena enforcement failure; CARDII pseudonymity) |
| 232 | Apr 14, 2026 | Notice of errata on opposition filing |
| 233 | Apr 15, 2026 | Motion for remote appearance at April 21 hearing |
| 234 | Apr 15, 2026 | Order granting remote appearance (counsel may attend telephonically but “will not be permitted to make any arguments”) |
| 235 | Apr 17, 2026 | Bonnell opposition to Plaintiff’s motion for trial continuance |
Alleged Timeline
- 2018: Pxie (then 19) and Bonnell meet online.
- September 2020: Pxie and Bonnell have a single in-person sexual encounter that is recorded.
- November 2021: Solo (UK, claiming to be 21) meets Rose (17) on Yubo, begins long-distance “relationship.”
- Early-to-mid 2022: Solo creates Discord account (“Rose” / “RoseOfTheGarden”) and Twitter “@RoseIsCumming” using Rose’s real photos, without her credentials. Solo initiates contact with Destiny posing as 18-year-old Rose.
- October 2022 (per complaint): Destiny shares intimate video of himself and Pxie with “Rose” (i.e., Solo) via Discord.
- August 2022: Rose tries to break up with Solo; he threatens to kill her family and kidnap her. She blocks him; he continues contact attempts for years.
- November 29, 2024: Solo leaks ~26 videos plus ~300 pages of the “Rose”/Destiny Discord logs on KiwiFarms.
- December 2024: Solo posts on KiwiFarms claiming Rose “gave me the account a while ago” and doesn’t care about the leak — fabricating consent.
- February 18, 2025: Complaint filed.
- August 26, 2025: “Callum” first emails Rose informing her of the leak and doxxing.
- October 23, 2025: Rose deposed; testifies under oath she never messaged Destiny, never controlled the Rose Discord, and never consented to the leak.
- April 21, 2026: Continuance hearing.
Statutes Invoked
- Federal non-consensual intimate imagery statute (“revenge porn” / Intimate Image Protection)
- Florida cyber sexual harassment law
- Florida privacy tort claims
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress
Structural Significance
The defense theory is that Destiny was catfished by an anonymous UK-based actor and therefore had no ability to form the specific intent the NCII statute was designed to punish — and no way to reach the actual wrongdoer via US civil process. Rose’s deposition is structurally friendly to this theory. Plaintiff’s counter is that the catfish is irrelevant: the statute’s operative question is whether Destiny shared intimate imagery of Pxie without Pxie’s consent, and he did, regardless of who the recipient turned out to be. The April 21 hearing and trial are where these competing readings get tested.
This case is the spine of You Can’t Sue the Catfish — the first piece in the Reachability Routing series.
Connections
- Steven K. Bonnell II — defendant
- Jane Doe (Pxie) — plaintiff
- Solo (Ben Conway) — the unreachable actual wrongdoer; not a party
- Rose (AH) — impersonation victim; deposed third-party witness
- Rose deposition — Doe v Bonnell — primary evidence source
Source Appearances
- Rose deposition — Doe v Bonnell — sworn third-party testimony undermining the complaint’s factual predicate
- Press context: PacerMonitor docket, WFLA/Yahoo News, Polygon, Dexerto, Dot Esports (see Press context — Doe v Bonnell)
- Doe v Bonnell ECF132 — Motion to Dismiss (Abby Subpoena History) — Bonnell’s 12(b)(1) jurisdictional attack; establishes April 2022 pre-CARDII transmission as central dispute; documents Abbymc subpoena evasion
- Doe v Bonnell ECF139 — Plaintiff Opposition to MTD (False Minor Footnote) — Plaintiff’s intertwined-merits counter and Discord CDN reachability theory; contains the false Footnote 2 minor allegation
- Doe v Bonnell ECF163 — Motion for Protective Order (Deposition Scheduling) — Bonnell’s response to Plaintiff’s November 3 deposition no-show; seeks coordinated deposition schedule and $10,875 fees
- Doe v Bonnell ECF183 — Rule 11 Sanctions Motion (False Minor Allegation) — Bonnell’s Rule 11 motion after Rose deposition confirms Solo catfished him; Plaintiff refused to retract Footnote 2
- Doe v Bonnell ECF210 — Motion for Summary Judgment — post-discovery MSJ; full record summary including AH deposition, Peña expert concessions, Abbymc failure to produce
- Doe v Bonnell ECF216 — Plaintiff Rule 56(d) Motion to Defer MSJ — Plaintiff’s request to defer MSJ due to outstanding discovery (Bonnell deposition, Göransson/Hague, document deficiencies)
- Doe v Bonnell ECF218 — Bonnell Opposition to Rule 56(d) Motion — Bonnell’s argument that Plaintiff’s own inaction caused all discovery failures; no good cause for deferral
- Doe v Bonnell ECF222 — Bonnell Omnibus Motion in Limine — three evidentiary exclusion requests for trial: false minor claim, Abbymc evidence, trial-stage pseudonym
- Doe v Bonnell ECF230 — Bonnell Opposition to Plaintiff MIL — consent evidence is essential to CARDII elements; Rule 412 inapplicable; Solo evidence needed for timing
- Doe v Bonnell ECF231 — Plaintiff Opposition to Omnibus MIL — Rose deposition shows Solo shared Bonnell videos with real Rose; Abbymc exclusion improper; CARDII pseudonymity applies at trial
- Doe v Bonnell ECF235 — Bonnell Opposition to Trial Continuance — Bonnell “ready for trial and eager to clear his name”; Plaintiff estopped; no good cause for continuance
Open Questions
- What does the original complaint specifically allege about Destiny’s knowledge state at the time of the October 2022 sharing?
- What is the content of ECF 186 (the sanctions motion)?
- What do Solo’s actual Discord/Twitter logs (Destiny’s document production: SB 001639, SB 001618, SB 001871, SB 001910, SB 001918, SB 002392) show about Destiny’s awareness, if any, of irregularities in “Rose’s” identity?
- Will the April 21 continuance be granted, and if so, for how long?
- Has any US-UK civil process against Solo been attempted?