Prenda lawyers’ careers are up in smoke, but sanctions keep coming

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After a few years shaking down Internet users over piracy claims, the lawyers behind the Prenda law copyright-trolling operation were repeatedly sanctioned by federal judges. Now, their careers are in shambles—Paul Hansmeier had his law license suspended, John Steele is facing a bar complaint, and both may be facing an FBI investigation. (A third lawyer who was involved, Paul Duffy, passed away last year.)

Even as their scheme collapses, they continue to be hit with sanctions. This week, Hansmeier and Steele got hit with a big one. US District Judge John Darrah oversaw litigation related to one of Prenda’s most audacious moves—their defamation lawsuit against their critics. They sued Steele’s former housekeeper, Alan Cooper, and his lawyer, Paul Godfread, for accusing Steele of identity theft. For good measure, they also sued anonymous blog commenters who called Prenda attorneys “brain-dead” and “assclowns.”

The defamation lawsuit resulted in a $12,000 sanction, but Godfread and Cooper also pushed an anti-SLAPP case against Hansmeier and Steele. Now that has resulted in Prenda’s largest sanction yet—a sanction order for more than $600,000.

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Source: Ars Technica – Prenda lawyers’ careers are up in smoke, but sanctions keep coming