BELLEVILLE , Ill., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 3rd, 2012, Prenda Law Inc. filed an amended complaint in Saint Clair County, Illinois, naming AT&T, Comcast Cable Communications and their corporate executives as defendants for their role in allegedly aiding hackers targeting adult content. The plaintiff, Lightspeed Media Corporation, is a leading adult content producer.
Lightspeed's complaint accuses Comcast, AT&T and their corporate executives of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting computer fraud, unjust enrichment and violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act. Lightspeed has asked the court for injunctive relief, preventing AT&T and Comcast from continuing to participate in the criminal enterprise, and for monetary damages.
Lightspeed's original complaint was filed on December 14, 2011 against Anthony Smith, one of the alleged ringleaders of the hacking gang. Lightspeed's early efforts were successful in unraveling the conspiracy when counsel for AT&T, Bartholomew Huffman, and counsel for Comcast, John Seiver informed Lightspeed that their clients would no longer comply with court-ordered subpoenas. Angry criminal subscribers were threatening to cancel their subscriptions. A recent Illinois Supreme Court order necessitated the reissuance of the subpoenas in this matter.
"The courts have a strong history of protecting the little guy against unlawful corporate practices. In the Ford Pinto case, for example, Ford made a business decision to pay legal damages instead of the $11 per car to make Ford Pinto gas tanks safe. Similarly, AT&T and Comcast have made a business decision to protect alleged criminals instead of severing lucrative contracts. AT&T and Comcast's subscribers have threatened my client's livelihood while continuing the unfettered hacking that is destroying his business--all under the protection of AT&T and Comcast," said Paul Duffy, an attorney for the plaintiff.
BREAKING: This morning the Honorable Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected the efforts of AT&T and Comcast to avoid compliance with subscriber identification subpoenas issued by Prenda Law Inc., stating that the ISP's legal arguments "have no merit."
Prenda Law Inc. is a leading intellectual property law firm in Chicago, Illinois and representing clients nationwide.
SOURCE Prenda Law Inc.
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