Anti-Piracy Lawyers Drop Case Against 70-Year-Old Grandmother
Anti-Piracy Lawyers Drop Case Against 70-Year-Old Grandmother
Posted 09/01/2011 at 8:18am
| by Paul Lilly
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A 70-year-old grandmother and retired widow from San Francisco accussed of illegally downloading and sharing a porn movie via BitTorrent had the case against her dropped. According to reports, the over-aggressive law firm that pursued the case admits they targeted the elderly woman by mistake and claims to have now found the real guilty party.
"It is such good news as this lawsuit has been hanging over my head," the unnamed woman said, according to SFGate.com. "But at the same time, there's a certain bitterness about the whole thing."
Steele Hansmeier PLLC, a law firm filing cases for the adult entertainment industry, turned their attention towards the 70-year-old woman back in July. She was one of thousands to receive a strongly worded letter encouraging her to settle out of court for a few thousand dollars, or risk having to pay attorney's fees and have her name made public in a court case involving pornography.
"They had an unwinnable case, and I called them on it," the woman said. "And I hope other people do, too."
SFGate.com reports there was no apology on behalf of the law firm, only a somewhat defiant letter that, as an aside, let the woman know it isn't swayed by defendants talking to newspapers, as it raises publicity about its efforts.
"Also, a movie producer hired our firm after reading the article and for that I thank you," the letter said.
Stay classy, Steele Hansmeier, PLLC.
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vig1lant3
September 02, 2011 at 10:00am
They only dropped the case when they realized she would probably be dead before the case and appeals concluded...
bpstone
September 02, 2011 at 4:30am
Just because someone is elderly doesn't mean they're incapable of committing a crime. If this woman was indeed innocent, they should feel ashamed of themselves. I'm pretty sure she was. The copyright, patent and trademark lawsuits are getting out of hand.
TerribleToaster
September 02, 2011 at 5:46am
From the get go of this whole thing there were many red flags and plenty of evidence that they had the wrong person (such as the fact that this women could barely use a computer at all, let alone torrent). Now that they have proven that they had the wrong person (or rather, others proved that they had the wrong person as they could care less) rather than apologizing or feeling ashamed, they sent her a letter basically telling her to go fuck herself "That they would not apologize because fuck you, and also thanks for the free publicity. P.S. We'll be watching you in case you ever do anything so we can sue your ass."
Basically they refuse to admit they were wrong and would rather harass an old lady who was proven innocent then say sorry.
RUSENSITIVESWEETNESS
September 01, 2011 at 5:36pm
Makes me wanna download another couple terabytes, and I thank you for that.
schwit
September 01, 2011 at 11:21am
Can she find a lawyer that will counter sue for emotional distress and harm to her reputation?
There are certain things that a simple apology can't fix or wash off. Being accused of sex or porn related crimes is one of them.
kris79
September 01, 2011 at 10:41am
Your submission has triggered the spam filter and will not be accepted.WTF!
pastorbob
September 01, 2011 at 10:14am
"I've obviously made a stupid mistake so to cover for it I will send a follow-up letter showing what a truly arrogant SOB I am."
They couldn't have been more unprofessional even if they thumbed their noses at her and said "Nanny, nanny, boo, boo," which in reality is exactly what they did. What can you expect from a profession that sues over spilled coffee because it was hot or sues a homeowner who shot the felon that broke into his home?
praack
September 01, 2011 at 9:12am
might have been disney who hired them
amazing the amount of Hubris that even though they made a mistake they gloated and came off threatening in the end
absolute power corrupts absolutely
that digital millenium act gave that level of power
DasHellMutt
September 01, 2011 at 12:05pm
This. The DMCA is right up there with the patriot act as some of the most heinous bullshit forced on this country by worthless politicians. Both should be repealed immediately and for largely the same reason. They bestow too much power on large organizations who don't need it or have any right to it. And they do so with the express purpose of using that power against the general public who has little recourse when they are labeled a pirate or a terrorist.
Brdn666
September 01, 2011 at 6:43pm
They always have been out of hand yet essential at the same time.
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