After a mess of litigation and miscommunication, the RIAA is likely spending thousands of dollars to get $300 from one woman it accuses of downloading music illegally, reports ArsTechnica.

The case involves North Carolina resident Terri Frye, whom the RIAA accuses of copyright infringement as the result of downloading songs from a file-sharing service. Frye, for her part, denies she's ever done such a thing. She hired a lawyer as soon as she got a letter from the RIAA, back in late 2005.

The resulting lawsuit from the RIAA came after the group refused to entertain the idea she might be innocent. They also repeatedly lost paperwork related to promises to grant her an extension to pay before a suit would be filed.

Frye, a single mother, got the group to agree to a lower per-song cost in their determination of how much they would seek from her. Initially they demanded $750 per song, but later dropped it to $.40.

The suit continues despite Frye's protests of innocence and her offer to help the RIAA find the real culprits.