Attorney: MN woman won’t pay for sharing songs
Published 1:20 pm Thursday, November 4, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota woman ordered to pay $1.5 million for sharing songs online is not planning to pay the recording industry, as her attorneys argue the award is not in line with actual harm suffered.
Jammie Thomas-Rasset has been told by three separate juries that she must pay the recording industry for willfully violating copyrights of 24 songs. In 2007, she was told to pay $222,000. Last year, a second jury told her to pay $1.92 million.
The third jury said Wednesday she should pay $1.5 million — or $62,500 per song.
One of her attorneys, Kiwi Camara, says Thursday that she won’t pay, and he plans to argue that the statute allowing such high damages for copyright violations is unconstitutional.
Camara says he’ll take the argument to the appeals court if necessary.
In a statement Wednesday the Recording Industry Association of America says it hopes Thomas-Rasset will accept responsibility for her actions.
