Prenda Law Misses Sanctions Deadline, Faces More Penalties

LOS ANGELES — Prenda Law attorneys have missed the deadline to pay $81,000 in sanctions.

U.S. District Judge Otis Wright threatened even more sanctions if Prenda Law, along with attorneys John Steele, Paul Hansmeier, Paul Duffy, Brett Gibbs, as well as AF Holdings LLC and Ingenuity 13 LLC, don't pay up.

Wright has imposed a penalty of $1,000 per day, per person or entity, until the attorneys-fee sanction award is paid or a bond for the same amount is posted.

Prenda Law and its principals were hit with $81,000 in sanctions after Wright said that the firm's attorneys "outmaneuvered the legal system" in their attempts to exact payment through boilerplate processes from thousands of defendants accused of illegally sharing porn through torrents.

On Monday, a two-judge panel with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Hansmeier's emergency appeal that to stay sanctions levied against him.

The appellate court, however, gave Hansmeier the option to appeal sanctions with Wright who said in yesterday's order, "the court finds no basis to grant Prenda’s request."

Wright yesterday denied Hansmeier's application for stay of enforcement and ordered Prenda and others to pay up.

"Prenda now seeks to remedy a problem of their own making," Wright said in his order. "By refusing to pay, or at least refusing to post a supersedeas bond, Prenda (and the other parties) cannot establish that it is without fault in creating the crisi sthat requires ex parte relief, or that the crisis occurred as a result of excusable neglect.”

Prenda Law attorneys earlier this year were summoned by Wright to discuss their method of operation going after those who share porn through the Internet.

In addition to monetary sanctions Wright  also referred Prenda Law attorneys to state and federal bar disciplinary panels, as well as U.S. prosecutors and the IRS. He also ordered the notification of “all judges before whom these attorneys have pending cases.”

Wright said in his earlier ruling this month that Prenda Law "discovered the nexus of antiquated copyright laws, paralyzing social stigma, and unaffordable defense costs."

"And they exploit this anomaly by accusing individuals of illegally downloading a single pornographic video," he said. "Then they offer to settle — for a sum calculated to be just below the cost of a bare-bones defense."

View Wright's order denying stay of enforcement and order to pay award

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Show More