The disturbing case of 31-year-old Matthew Vollmer, a Nashville resident, is unraveling further with each new revelation in the investigation. The latest developments include claims that Vollmer allegedly possessed thousands of explicit videos, a discovery made by one of his most vocal victims, Laura Cantwell.
Vollmer first gained public attention after his former girlfriend, Christiana Werner, stumbled upon a non-consensually recorded video of herself and Vollmer on his computer while he was away. Shocked by the discovery, she searched further and found hidden cameras in his alarm clock, along with videos of other women. Werner immediately contacted the police, who then reached out to other potential victims.
One of those victims was Laura Cantwell, a third-year law student, who swiftly filed a civil lawsuit for $1.8 million in damages. While civil suits don’t always lead to direct changes in behavior, they are an important step in the healing process for victims. Vollmer is facing a civil suit, while his criminal case is still unfolding. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawful photography, the only charge currently pending against him. There is no evidence at this stage to suggest he distributed the explicit videos, but his lawyer argues they were all made consensually. The prosecution is working to prove otherwise, backed by evidence and witnesses. Vollmer remains free on a $40,000 bond.
The exact number of Vollmer’s victims is still unknown, but Cantwell believes the total could be in the thousands, based on her own experiences and the videos she discovered. Her lawsuit requests that, if successful, any recovered funds be distributed among all of Vollmer’s victims.
This case highlights the rapid evolution of technology, which has touched every aspect of our lives, including issues of consent. While apps and tools now exist to document consent in intimate situations, the law is often slow to catch up with these changes. Tragically, some of Vollmer’s victims are unable to press charges due to Tennessee’s one-year statute of limitations, a legal loophole that has already led to the dismissal of some charges.
The victims of Vollmer are not only dealing with the emotional and psychological toll of his actions but are also fighting for changes in the law. They are advocating for a revision to the statute of limitations, proposing that it should begin from the date the victim discovers the unlawful act, rather than from when the violation took place. This change would allow more victims to seek justice and hold offenders accountable.
It’s important to recognize that if all the videos were truly consensual, as Vollmer’s lawyer suggests, Christiana Werner would never have found the need to involve the police, nor would she have found other victims who shared similar experiences. As the case progresses, these women are pushing for a legal system that better protects them and prevents perpetrators like Vollmer from escaping justice due to legal technicalities.