Marshals ordered to seize $63,720 from Righthaven

U.S. marshals have been ordered to seize $63,720 from Righthaven LLC, a company that files copyright infringement lawsuits, to fulfill a judgment against the company.

Lance Wilson, the clerk of federal court, this week signed a writ of execution that was requested by lawyers for Kentucky website poster Wayne Hoehn, who obtained the judgment for legal fees after winning a lawsuit Righthaven filed against him.

The lawsuit was in response to Hoehn’s posting of a Las Vegas Review-Journal column on a sports-betting website. The Review-Journal is a Righthaven client.

U.S. District Judge Philip Pro this summer dismissed the lawsuit and ordered Righthaven to pay $34,045 in fees to Hoehn’s Las Vegas lawyers.

The writ covers the $34,045 plus nearly $30,000 in additional legal fees piled up by Hoehn’s lawyers.

In their motion seeking to seize Righthaven assets, Hoehn’s lawyers said the company has been stalling payment of the judgment.

Righthaven attorneys have appealed the dismissal and the judgment to the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Steve Gibson, the company’s chief executive officer, would not say what steps Righthaven is taking to respond to the ordered seizure.

But Gibson said the company will continue to address the issues in the case with the courts.

Gibson said he thinks Righthaven will be vindicated in its belief “that people ought to be able to engage in private contracts to uphold copyright ownership.”