Congratulations to the Cashman Law Firm, PLLC clients who have been dismissed from the Hard Drive Productions, Inc. case.

by

Congratulations to the Cashman Law Firm, PLLC clients who have been dismissed from the Hard Drive Productions, Inc. v. Does 1-1,000 (Case No. 1:10-cv-05606) case filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

There is really nothing exciting to say about this. There were no juicy facts or news which prompted the dismissals, and the dismissals were done voluntary (meaning Steele filed the dismissal himself) and without prejudice (meaning that he can still sue these defendants in their home courts). This is not anything surprising, because Steele’s Hard Drive Productions, Inc. client has been suing people in smaller numbers in their home states for some time now.

Because Steele has already course-corrected and has started suing defendants in their home courts, it appears to me that there was no reason for him to keep this monster of a case alive, especially because it implicated out-of-state John Doe defendants (whereas the court has already dismissed Steele’s cases for implicating out-of-state defendants), and the case was fraught with joinder problems up the wazoo.

So congratulations on your dismissal. Enjoy it for the time being, and remember, he still has three years from the alleged date of infringement to bring suit against defendants in their home courts.

PS – The only interesting fact is that there is one Doe left. Who this Doe is, or what their intentions are in keeping this Doe as a putative defendant, we’ll just have to wait and see.

4 thoughts on “Congratulations to the Cashman Law Firm, PLLC clients who have been dismissed from the Hard Drive Productions, Inc. case.”

  1. What is/has happened to existing named defendant copyright infringement cases such as the following: (Do a search of Voltage Pictures on the http://www.rfcexpress.com website and get several named defendants lawsuits pending)

    Voltage Pictures, LLC v. Joseph F. Cyganiak
    RFC Case Number: C-V11-68J
    Court Case Number: 2:11-cv-00068-JES-SPC
    File Date: Thursday, February 17, 2011
    Plaintiff: Voltage Pictures, LLC
    Plaintiff Counsel: Jeffrey W. Weaver of Dunlap Grubb & Weaver PLLC
    Defendant: Joseph F. Cyganiak
    Cause: 17:101 Copyright Infringement
    Court: Florida Middle District Court

    Voltage Pictures, LLC v. Gina Morrison
    RFC Case Number: C-V11-77G
    Court Case Number: 3:11-cv-00077
    File Date: Wednesday, February 02, 2011
    Plaintiff: Voltage Pictures, LLC
    Plaintiff Counsel: Ellis L. Bennett of Dunlap Grubb & Weaver, PLLC
    Defendant: Gina Morrison

    Voltage Pictures, LLC v. Phillip Avery
    RFC Case Number: C-V11-135P
    Court Case Number: 3:11-cv-00135-TCB
    File Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011
    Plaintiff: Voltage Pictures, LLC
    Plaintiff Counsel: Elizabeth A. Morgan of The Morgan Law Firm PC
    Defendant: Phillip Avery
    Cause: 17:101 Copyright Infringement
    Court: Georgia Northern District Court
    Judge: Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.

    Reply

    • We can chat about this over the phone if you would like. I am very aware of these, and I even have background information on them that can help you come to a decision about your case (if you are a defendant or a former-defendant trying to figure out what to do). -Rob

      Reply

  2. According to the RFC website: NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal by Hard Drive Productions, Inc. of the Sole Remaining Doe Defendant With Prejudice (Steele, John) (Entered: 09/23/2011)

    Reply

Leave a Comment