Music Industry Sues 83-Year-Old Dead Woman

Fri Feb 4, 5:09 PM ET Strange News - AP

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gertrude Walton was recently targeted by the recording industry in a lawsuit that accused her of illegally trading music over the Internet. But Walton died in December after a long illness, and according to her daughter, the 83-year-old hated computers.

More than a month after Walton was buried in Beckley, a group of record companies named her as the sole defendant in a federal lawsuit, claiming she made more than 700 pop, rock and rap songs available for free on the Internet under the screen name "smittenedkitten."

Walton's daughter, Robin Chianumba, lived with her mother for the last 17 years and said her mother objected to having a computer in the house.

"My mother was computer illiterate. She hated a computer," Chianumba said. "My mother wouldn't know how to turn on a computer."

Chianumba said she faxed a copy of her mother's death certificate to record company officials several days before the lawsuit was filed, in response to a letter from the company regarding the upcoming legal filing.

"I believe that if music companies are going to set examples they need to do it to appropriate people and not dead people," Chianumba said. "I am pretty sure she is not going to leave Greenwood Memorial Park (where she is buried) to attend the hearing."

A Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites) spokesman said Thursday that Walton was likely not the smittenedkitten it is searching for.

"Our evidence gathering and our subsequent legal actions all were initiated weeks and even months ago," said RIAA (news - web sites) spokesman Jonathan Lamy. "We will now, of course, obviously dismiss this case."

now they've gone too far

Iv heard it all now!
The "Stop illegal music" 'people' really do get on my nerves, i dont download much music at all myself, im a cd person! but still they just wreck my head!

.... Obviously if gramma "objected to having a computer in the house" there was some experience?? Have we questioned Robin, who (if i may be a bit harsh), after living with momma for 17 years could easily be a 'smittenedkitten'....??? The technicality is that Gramma was the "sole defendant".... I think if I were her I'd consider a lawyer!

Although my school principal taunts "I won't be surprised when they take you outta here in chains for your liberal approach to copyright law" I honestly download for educational purposes.... lotsa jazz standards when I'm gettin' kids ready for jazz auditions, pop songs I don't have personal interest in so that I can sequence them for school... I'm sitting next to our CD collection right now... the best way to describe it is in dimensions... 'bout 4.5 by 4 feet.... that doesn't count those that've migrated to the dining room and basement CD players... or the 2 cars... or the other computer in the office.....

Oh my... I always love a good David defeats Goliath story!
(if indeed Gamma was "Smittenedkitten"... downloading all those rock and rap tunes.)