One of the most closely-watched file-sharing cases is a step closer to an end. A federal judge has awarded exonerated RIAA defendant Tanya Andersen $107,834 in attorneys' fees, a figure that isn't exactly what either party wanted. Andersen, a single mother in Oregon, was accused by the RIAA in 2005 of sharing music over KaZaA. Andersen denied the charges, filed a countersuit, and the RIAA finally dismissed the lawsuit last summer. Once the RIAA dismissed the case, she sought and won an attorneys' fees award as the prevailing party.

In a five-page opinion (PDF, found via Recording Industry vs The People), Judge James A. Redden agreed with a magistrate judge's calculations, rejecting both Andersen's argument for a significantly higher fee award and the RIAA's appeal for a much lower legal bill. Andersen's attorney, Lory Lybeck, had sought nearly $300,000—about $150,000 in fees and a multiplier of double the fee due to his "high-risk" and "successful" defense.

The RIAA countered that the $298,995 fee sought was "excessive" and that it should instead be in the neighborhood of one-tenth of that number. The labels said it was nothing more than a "straightforward" copyright infringement case, and that its independent experts thought the fees sought were excessive in many respects. In particular, the RIAA focused on the fact that Andersen occasionally had more than one attorney present at hearings, arguing that one attorney was sufficient. The problem with that reasoning is that the RIAA found it necessary to have as many as six attorneys present at a single hearing.

Judge Redden dismissed the arguments of both sides, finding the labels' objections to be "without merit." Similarly, he agreed with the magistrate judge's finding that no fee multiplier was warranted in Atlantic v. Andersen.

With the matter of attorneys' fees presumably settled (it's possible that the RIAA and/or Andersen might appeal—and the RIAA's record shows that it is willing to fight tooth-and-nail against fee awards), both parties can focus entirely on Andersen's malicious prosecution lawsuit. In it, Andersen accuses the RIAA of a whole host of misdeeds, including fraud, conspiracy, and abuse of the legal process. That case is moving ahead, with the parties submitting a joint status report and discovery plan earlier this month.