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Judge Slashes Music Sharing Fine
Headline Court News |
2010/01/26 04:55
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A Minnesota woman fined nearly $2 million for illegally downloading music has seen the fine reduced from that monstrous amount by a U.S. District Court judge who dropped the fine to $54,000.
Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a single mother with four children, said she is seeking a way to have the fine -- leveled after she lost a case with the Recording Industry Association of America -- reduced even further.
Whether it's $2 million or $54,000, I'm a mom with four kids and one income and we're not exactly rolling in that kind of dough right now, she said, according to media reports.
In his opinion, Judge Michael Davis said, The need for deterrence cannot justify a $2 million verdict for stealing and illegally distributing 24 songs for the sole purpose of obtaining free music. Judge Davis added that the $54,000 for downloading the music tracks is significant and harsh... this Court has merely reduced that award to the maximum amount that is no longer monstrous and shocking. |
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Balloon Boy parents enter guilty plea
Headline Court News |
2009/11/16 09:46
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| pThe Colorado parents of three children could wind up in jail after admitting in court they fabricated a story about their son in a runaway balloon to gain publicity for a possible reality TV show./ppRichard Heene appeared before a Larimer County District Court judge first, pleading guilty to a felony count of falsely influencing the sheriff who led the rescue effort during the 50-mile balloon chase that captivated a global television audience Oct. 15./ppMayumi Heene pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of knowingly filing a false report with emergency services. Prosecutors said she had a lower level of culpability and cooperated with authorities, telling investigators the balloon launch was a publicity stunt two weeks in the making./ppBut even as the Heenes entered their guilty pleas, their attorneys' comments in court set off speculation of talk show appearances or other deals./ppJudge Stephen Schapanski agreed to the attorneys' request that the couple be allowed to travel to New York and California to explore employment opportunities. David Lane, Richard Heene's lawyer, declined to elaborate as he left the courtroom, and Heene waved off questions./p |
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Ex-Mass. House speaker DiMasi pleads not guilty
Headline Court News |
2009/11/15 09:48
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| Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi has again pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges.pDiMasi and three co-defendants entered the pleas Thursday during their arraignment on an expanded indictment adding extortion to earlier public corruption charges./ppThe original indictment alleged DiMasi and three associates rigged two lucrative state contracts for the software company Cognos in exchange for payments, with the former speaker pocketing $57,000./ppA superseding indictment handed up last month added the extortion charge. It says DiMasi accepted payments from Cognos and a second member of the scheme, Joseph Lally, knowing the money was in exchange for helping the Burlington, Mass.-based firm win the contracts./p |
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Calif. fire suspect pleads not guilty to murder
Headline Court News |
2009/11/14 09:50
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| pA prison inmate has pleaded not guilty to arson and murder charges for a 2003 wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and was linked to five heart attack deaths in Southern California./ppSan Bernardino County prosecutors say 28-year-old Rickie Lee Fowler entered his plea Thursday in Superior Court./ppFowler is already serving time in state prison for burglary. He faces five counts of murder, one count of aggravated arson and one count of arson of an inhabited structure./ppThe so-called Old Fire erupted in the San Bernardino Mountains above the city of San Bernardino in October 2003 and eventually swept across 140 square miles./ppA pretrial hearing is set for Nov. 30. Fowler's bail has been set at $1 million./p |
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