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back to article Prenda lawyers miss sanctions deadline

Lawyers ordered to pay more than $US81,000 in the Prenda Law copyright trolling smackdown are now racking up new liabilities at the rate of $US1,000 a day. The four had been sanctioned by Judge Otis Wright when their legal strategy finally came unstuck earlier this month. As part of that judgement, the four were required to …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Good.

    Where's the Grumpy Cat icon?

    7 0
  2. Dazed and Confused

    We need

    more judges doing things like this.

    17 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: We need

      > more judges doing things like this.

      Prenda's initial letters to the people alleged to have infringed their copyright demanded $4,000, which the court noted was coldly calculated to be just cheaper than mounting a basic defence.

      When Judge Wright hit Prenda with the $81,000 sanction he explained "this punitive portion is calculated to be just below the cost of an effective appeal."

      pwned.

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      1. PaulR79
        Reply Icon

        Re: We need

        Oh that is simply fantastic!

        2 0
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    These guys certainly deserve it

    They've been bring any number of court cases claiming people have been downloading porn films via BitTorrent - films that they (through a number of shell companies) own and have been placed to tempt people. Their typical strategy is to threaten (claiming that it is necessary as a part of the "discovery" process) to tell a suspect's neighbours, friends and employees of their alleged activities. They finally got caught out when one suspect pushed back, and the judge in charge of the case got suspicious and began digging a lot deeper than they wanted to. Turned out that some of the documents they had supplied the court had been forged, and when the judge hauled the smug legal-eagles in for some very pointed questioning they immediately took the 5th and clammed up.

    Have a look at the Popehat blog (www.popehat.com) which has been following this case.

    9 0
  4. g e
    Holmes

    Sieze everything

    They're obviously a (financial) flight risk, being porntrolls

    4 0
  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Unhappy

    Better confiscate their passports.

    Let's see.

    They are lawyers who.

    Mfg porn to entrap.

    Hide their ownership so it's not obvious they are both lawyers and their own client.

    Forge documents.

    Lie to the court

    Have not coughed up court set charges when told to.

    How soon before they all have to attend an "Important legal seminar" in some non extradition country and then decide to have an "extended holiday" there? And you can bet that if they did they'd set up shop there and start this b**locks all over again.

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    1. bag o' spanners
      Reply Icon
      Devil

      Re: Better confiscate their passports.

      Having seen how the US federal law enforcement bods do their business, my guess is that they'll be invited to meet some dubious moneyed characters in a posh hotel with all exes paid, and find themselves entrapped by "Glenn" and "Mahmud".

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    2. Fatman
      Reply Icon

      Re: Better confiscate their passports.

      A better idea:

      Threaten to incarcerate them at Gitmo until the sanctions are paid.

      I would not risk any money on how fast they come up with the cash.

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Atta-judge!

    We *like* it.

    1 0
  7. Tom 13

    Re: failure to comply will result in additional sanctions

    I wonder how far down that list disbarment is?

    2 0
    1. J. Cook Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Go

      Re: failure to comply will result in additional sanctions

      IIRC, the answer is "not very", as Judge Wright also recommended action by the respective state bars for their shenanigans.

      That saga deserves the special kettle popcorn I have in reserve for the really entertaining cases.

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    2. Munchausen's proxy
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: failure to comply will result in additional sanctions

      "I wonder how far down that list disbarment is?"

      Already in play. When the judge dropped the hammer, he explicitly said (IIRC) that he was personally referring his findings to every bar association AND every judge they still had cases before AND the US Attorneys (criminal prosecutors). I believe defense lawyers in other Prenda cases have already started using those findings in front of their own judges.

      http://www.popehat.com has a pretty complete chain of events documented.

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  8. cortland

    Can we go after the RIAA next

    For similar tactics, of course.

    0 0
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