Lead-brained

I hope this isn't catching on.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've noticed with increasingly frequency (whether this is due to actual increased frequency or just me paying better attention, I don't know) people using the word "lead" where the context clearly suggests past tense.

I understand that "lead" has two pronunciations, depending upon how the word is used. If it's used as a verb, it takes the long "ee" sound. If it's used as a noun, it takes the short "eh" sound.

Some people have apparently gotten their homonyms confused. The past tense of "lead" (or its negative, "mislead") is "led" (or "misled"), not "lead" (or "mislead"). This is basic stuff, right? A second-grader ought to know this. Yet the improper spelling has turned up in more legal briefs than I care to have read lately.

Em Eye thee only won hoo proofreads anymore?