Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

Sounds to me as though you're confessing ("....a crime we committed....")!

First, almost anyone can sue almost anyone else for almost anything. The real question might be "Can they win?" but win or lose, the case can be filed and the person named as defendant will have to go to court and defend, even though they may win.

Next, although your friend's lawyer may have written the lawsuit, the lawyer is probably not the plaintiff. If you look at the cover page of the suit, you'll probably see that your "friend" is the plaintiff.

So, the question becomes, "Can my friend win?"

Here, I'm going to have to guess. I'd say that to the extent the fine is a criminal penalty, i.e., a true fine, you probably aren't liable even in a civil action, but this is indeed a guess. However, to the extent that what you're calling a "fine" is actually an order to pay restitution to the victim, that you can be sued successfully for a portion of it.