Righthaven ordered to pay $30K attorney fee award to Hoehn

Righthaven, The hapless copyright troll, asked a federal court to lift a $30,000 fee award saying that the amount could force them into bankruptcy.  Now the defendant is asking Righthaven to post a $100,000 bond to cover future appeals.

photo:veteransnewsnow.comLawyers for Wayne Hoehn suggested that Righthaven isn't being truthfull about it's financial situation and asked the court not to let Righthaven "slither away" from the consequences.

Hoehn was sued by Righthaven for cutting and pasting a sports column. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Jeff Roberts at Paidcontent.org writes:

"Today’s filing shows that Righthaven is determined to continue its aggressive, and sometimes puzzling, legal tactics."

"Since May of 2010, Righthaven has made a business of filing copyright lawsuits against individuals who cut and paste newspaper articles and then taking a slice of the profits when the lawsuits are settled. It has filed over 275 suits so far but was stopped in its tracks earlier this summer after a Nevada judge ruled Righthaven did not have standing to enforce the copyright that it was using to file one of its lawsuits because it didn’t actually possess the copyright."

"Righthaven’s filing is significant on a couple of levels. First, it informs the court that the company has reached a new deal with its one remaining client (Stephens Media) that gives it clear control of the newspaper’s copyrights. It was this lack of control that led the Nevada judge to kick Righthaven out of court in the first place. Righthaven is saying it has now fixed that problem.'

"The second important takeaway from today’s filing is that Righthaven is willing to keep pushing its luck with the federal courts, which have already expressed disdain for its litigation practices. The company is now asking the courts to believe that it is too poor to pay $30,000 (relative chump change for law firms) even while it is pursuing an expensive appeal before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Righthaven’s bankruptcy warning is also a risky strategy. The courts, already skeptical of the company’s actions, may decide to reject a bankruptcy filing as a fraudulent attempt on the part of Righthaven to shield its assets from the Nevada defendant."