In the 1980s he was tried in California on charges of pandering because, the prosecution claimed, as a porn film producer he paid actors to perform sexual acts and then filmed them. He was convicted, but his case was appealed to the California Supreme Court. In 1988 the court ruled that his productions came under the protections of the First Amendment regarding free speech, and his conviction was overturned. This ruling legalized the production and distribution of "hardcore" porn in California.
