This is well overdue, the extortionist are about to be dealt a crushing blow as folks hear what some of their activities have been to try to extort money from someone they knew was inocent.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070625-exonerated-defendant-sues-riaa-for-malicious-prosecution.htmlFormer RIAA target Tanya Andersen has sued several major record labels, the parent company of RIAA investigative arm MediaSentry, and the RIAA's Settlement Support Center for malicious prosecution, a development first reported by P2P litigation attorney Ray Beckerman of Vandenberg & Feliu.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Oregon late last week and accuses the RIAA of a number of misdeeds, including invasion of privacy, libel and slander, and deceptive business practices.
The RIAA is also accused of trying to contact Andersen's then eight-year-old daughter without her knowledge. "Knowing of her distress, the RIAA and its agents even attempted to directly contact Kylee," reads the complaint. "They called Ms. Andersen's apartment building looking for Kylee. Phone calls were also made to her former elementary school under false pretenses... Ms. Andersen learned of these tactics and was even more frightened and distressed."
Andersen says that the RIAA acted negligently throughout the proceedings and engaged in fraud and negligent misrepresentation by demanding that she enter into a four-figure settlement for copyright infringement that she never engaged in. The RIAA is also accused of violating both federal and state RICO statutes, the intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. Andersen seeks statutory and punitive damages along with attorneys fees.
I am amazed this kind of fraudulant business practices are half legal or even tolerated in the US, what they have undertaken here is pure harassment to ensure they obtain the money they wished to extort illegaly, can anyone really take these organisations seriously when they act like common criminals, congress should act to distance itself from this industries corrupt and vile business practices that are an offence to all law abiding citizens.
