RIAA Must Pay $107,834 in Legal Fees

Largest attorneys' fees ever awarded in a P2P-related case.

The RIAA will have to pay $107,834 in legal fees as a result of a failed lawsuit, a US federal judge has ruled. For two years, running until June 2007, the RIAA pursued a case against Tanya Andersen, accusing her of illegal file sharing; that case was dismissed with prejudice however, and Andersen and one of her lawyers were allowed to seek compensation for their defense. At points in the case, as many as six attorneys for Andersen were present in court.

The compensation is said to be the highest awarded against the RIAA in terms of legal fees, and far more than the RIAA's proposal of $30,000. The judge did not grant the $298,995 asked for by Andersen lawyer Lory Lybeck though, noting that Lybeck's work on a counterclaim for Andersen was not eligible for compensation, along with some "generalized" billing, and part of his hourly rate.



Andersen and the RIAA have until May 27th to object to the amount of compensation.

[ Via Ars ]