RIAA Will Finally Face the Music In Court

Friday may mark a significant milestone in the RIAA's legal campaign
against file-sharing, as it is the deadline for exonerated RIAA
defendant Tanya Andersen to refile her malicious prosecution lawsuit
against the record labels. Soon afterwards, discovery will begin, and
all sorts of unsavory details about the RIAA's legal campaign against
suspected file-sharers are likely to emerge.

Andersen is a single mother living in Oregon who was sued by the
record label in February 2005. She eventually filed a counterclaim
against the RIAA, and when the labels voluntarily dismissed their case against her last June, she filed a malicious-prosecution lawsuit.
In it, Andersen accuses the RIAA of fraud, racketeering, invasion of
privacy, libel, slander, deceptive business practices, and violations
of the Oregon state RICO Act.

Last month, a federal judge dismissed Andersen's original complaint,
saying that she had "not adequately stated claims for relief," but gave
her a one-month window to refile. Her attorney, Lory Lybeck, told Ars
that he plans to file a new 80-page complaint tomorrow.