One of the most damning accusations against copyright-trolling operation Prenda Law is that the attorneys who manage it engaged in identity theft. Corporate papers on Prenda shell companies were signed by Alan Cooper, the former housekeeper of John Steele. Cooper has said someone else signed his name; Prenda-linked lawyers have said Cooper is basically crazy.

Crazy or not, Cooper lawyered up. He sued Prenda for fraudulent use of his name and the accusations were heard in court this week. At the same time, Prenda lawyers are continuing to fight off a devastating sanctions order with penalties growing at the rate of $1,000 per day.

Observant citizen and Minneapolis resident Matthew Sparby published an article about his observations on the recent Cooper v. Prenda hearing at Techdirt.

Judge Ann Alton pretty quickly turned sour on Prenda, who was represented by Paul Hansmeier. "I'm not sure I should hear you at all," she said, referring to the sanctions that Hansmeier had been slapped with. Throughout the hearing she revisited to her copy of Judge Otis Wright's order, reading portions of it to herself and out loud.

Still, there seemed to be some confusion on Alton's part, as she then turned to calling just about everybody in the courtroom a fraud. Alan Cooper is a fraud, and Paul Godfread (Cooper's lawyer) "may be a fraud as well," she said.

"You're not going to get damages out of me," she told Godfread. "I don't give damages when everyone is a fraud." The judge "appeared to be under the impression that Alan Cooper was complicit in Prenda's actions," wrote Sparby. Things seem to clear up once she read further into the order and saw that Cooper was a victim of the Prenda fraud, not a willing participant. But that didn't really result in a resounding win for Cooper, as Sparby explains:

Unfortunately, this new realization didn't seem to alter Judge Alton's stance on refusing to grant any damages. Godfread decided to approach it from a different angle, though. In lieu of damages, he suggested that Judge Alton order Prenda to return all of the settlement money it had received over the course of its campaign. Judge Alton rejected that suggestion saying that it wouldn't be possible unless, via discovery or other means, they are able to determine how much money that actually is. ... The Judge then asked if Cooper had actually testified to the fact that he did not authorize the use of his name in the AF Holdings cases. Godfread confirmed that Cooper did testify to that. Then, talking to Godfread, Judge Alton said, "I can't find a conspiracy to harm him. I believe you but I can't find it." She then made her order. She ordered that Prenda and its principals immediately cease using Alan Cooper's name, "and that's all. That's as far as I'll go." In parting, she addressed Paul Hansmeier, once again saying, "I believe you to be in violation of a whole lot of rules." She then repeated her earlier statement that she was forwarding the case folder to the Lawyers Board.

Two more cases shut down as Prenda dodges more punishment

In other Prenda-related developments, two more cases were shut down this week—and that's probably good news for Prenda. It's hard to imagine anything good happening to the copyright-trolling group in its ongoing cases at this point.

First, the San Francisco case in which a judge asked to see the signature of the elusive "Salt Marsh" trust has been shut down. Despite Prenda being unable to produce an original signature, the judge apparently lost interest, saying that Prenda shell AF Holdings has "substantially complied with the Court's order."

Second, the Sunlust Pictures case against Tuan Nguyen in Florida, where a judge started talking about Prenda Law's possible "fraud on the court," has also unexpectedly been put to rest. Defense lawyer Graham Syfert has withdrawn all his motions, including motions seeking fees. This suggests that he has reached an agreement with Prenda.

Reached by phone today, Syfert declined to offer even basic comment about the Sunlust case. "I can tell you there is a case in the Middle District of Florida called Sunlust Pictures v. Nguyen, and that's about it," said Syfert. He did mention that he'd continue to defend another Prenda case in Florida, First Time Videos v. Oppold.