Nirvana ‘Nevermind’ Child Porn Lawsuit Tossed By Los Angeles Judge – Deadline

The man whose infant image graced the cover of Nirvana’s multimillion-selling Nevermind album has seen his lawsuit about that photo tossed by a Los Angeles judge.

Spencer Elden, age 31, claimed in his legal papers that the shot of him swimming towards a dollar bill on a fish hook amounted to child porn.

US District Judge Fernando Olguin of Los Angeles disagreed. He said Elden had waited far too long to take legal action against several record labels and the band’s drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic, guitarist Kurt Cobain’s estate and photographer Kirk Weddle. The album came out in 1991 and was one of the most popular albums of the Grunge era that spawned such Seattle bands as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, among others.

Elden filed three versions of his lawsuit, and Olguin’s dismissal prevents him from filing a fourth.

The Nirvana album cover shoot tapped then-four-month old Elden for the job because his father was friendly with the photographer. His family received $200 to place hin the Pasadena Aquatic Center pool for the iconic shot.

Elden had the album title tattooed on his chest and recreated the picture in 2016 for the album’s 25th anniversary. But he claimed trauma from the image’s widespread circulation.