@jkronfuss said:
hence the whole thing falls into a "fruit of the poisonous tree"
That was my thought exactly. FW has a history of shady dealings. documented elsewhere in this forum. One of their stunts is to not pay their attorneys, which causes their cases to simply die.
I'm not a FW target as I've never downloaded or commented on their material, but it I were, I'd be inclined to delay the case with motions and such, waiting for their non-paid attorneys to quit and the case to be dismissed.
This is not to be taken as legal advice. If you are involved in this or any other such action, consult your own attorney.