Minnesota Mother Fined $1.5 Million In Music Piracy Case

A Minnesota woman, found guilty of copyright infringement after illegally sharing music online, has been ordered by a federal jury to pay a staggering $1.5 million in damages.

Single mother Jammie Thomas-Rasset was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sharing 24 songs online through the file sharing site Kazaa.

According to StarTribune, this is the third trial that Thomas-Rasset has faced since 2007, each of which resulting in huge fines.

The first trial was held in October 2007, where the jury ordered Thomas-Rasset to pay $222,222 in damages to record companies. However, the judge presiding over the jury declared a mistrial and ordered a retrial.

The second trial held in June 2009, was the most expensive to date with the jury ordering Thomas-Rasset to pay $1.9 million in damages.

RIAA incidentally was ready to settle the matter with Thomas-Rasset for around $5,000, but she refused to oblige, resulting in the case continuing.