Supreme Court Won't Hear Thomas-Rasset File Sharing Case
March 18, 2013
The long-running saga of Jammie Thomas-Rasset is back in the news today, as the Supreme Court let a jury's decision stand that the Minnesota woman pay out $222,000 to the recording industry for illegally sharing songs online. Wired reports that the justices declined to review Thomas-Rasset's petition, which claimed the damages were unconstitutionally excessive, without any comment.
Wired notes that the Supreme Court had already declined hearing cases related to RIAA lawsuits over file sharing twice in the past. This decision should end Thomas-Rasset's legal saga, which has seen a multitude of twists and turns over the years, including three different potential fines levied against her by the courts.
Thomas-Rasset says she still will not pay the $220,000. In an email to Wired, she wrote, "As I’ve said from the beginning, I do not have now, nor do I anticipate in the future, having $220,000 to pay this. If they do decide to try and collect, I will file for bankruptcy as I have no other option."