Baby Spencer Elden from Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind album cover claims pic is ‘sexual exploitation’ in $150k lawsuit
THE man who as a baby featured in Nirvana's iconic Nevermind album cover has accused the band of "sexual exploitation" in a $150,000 lawsuit.
Spencer Elden, now 30, is suing the band's surviving members as well as Kurt Cobain's estate, claiming that he could not consent to being pictured on the 1991 album cover.
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Elden claims he could not - at 4 months old - consent to being in the photo and his legal guardians did not consent either.
He alleges that the band promised that his genitals would be covered with a sticker on the album cover, but that never happened.
The suit alleges that appearing nude as an infant on the cover art has led to "lifelong damages" for Elden.
The lawsuit also names photographer Kirk Weddle and the labels behind the album's release.
Weddle was a friend of Elden's father, Rick, who 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.
"Recently I've been thinking, 'What if it wasn't OK with my freaking penis being shown to everybody?' I didn't really have a choice," he said.
He told the outlet that he came to the realization after trying 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," he explained.
"Why am I still on their cover if I’m not that big of a deal?"
Elden is reportedly seeking damages, attorney fees, an injunction to prohibit all parties from "continuing to engage in the unlawful acts and practices described herein," and a trial by jury.
Reps for Nirvana and Universal Music Group have not yet commented on the case.