The 'Girls Gone Wild' franchise, created by Joseph Francis, may actually stand a chance in court, thanks to a giant legal loophole. In 2003, two 17-year-old girls filed charges against the softcore porn king, claiming that a cameraman filmed them in sexual situations.

A search was immediately ordered and deputies descended to Francis' condominium, from where they seized videotapes including several hundreds of hours of footage. They constituted the main evidence in the case against the producer but, unfortunately for the defense lawyers, the judge dismissed them as evidence.

On Tuesday, Costello ruled against the tapes being used as evidence against Francis because 'the search warrants were not specific about what the deputies were looking for in the condominium'. But Francis, who allegedly aimed only at underage girls for his raunchy show, is still held in police custody.

It is uncertain yet if the 42 charges brought against the 33-year-old 'filmmaker' will still stand if the most relevant piece of evidence is not taken into consideration. The case is to go on trial this year and, if found guilty, he stands liable for decades in prison.

State Attorney Steve Meadows is unsure about the way in which the suppression of the videotapes will affect the case. He said in a statement issued yesterday morning that, quote, 'the obvious strength of this case is that much of the illegal conduct is caught on videotape'. This, as a matter of fact, cannot be used in the court of law.