"I sue dead people..."

A suit filed recently in US District Court named 83-year-old Gertrude Walton as a defendant, accusing her of serving up over 700 songs onto peer-to-peer networks. Now, the RIAA has gone after grandmothers before. In 2003, they mistakenly targeted a 66-year-old woman for allegedly sharing gangsta rap. But this case goes a bit further, as Mrs. Walton actually passed away in December 2004.

However, when Chianumba received such a letter from the trade group, she sent back a copy of her mother's death certificate in hopes of dissuading them from going ahead with the suit. The RIAA didn't heed the death certification, but it has apparently been convinced to its satisfaction that Mrs. Walton has passed beyond the earthly veil.

A Recording Industry Association of America spokesman said Thursday that Walton was likely not the smittenedkitten it's searching for.

One would hope that they would be more diligent in ensuring that they have targeted the right people. Unfortunately, their history does little to inspire such hopes.