> then they would have the right to sue the author of the gem whose false claim got them in trouble
I think this is where a useless all-caps text comes handy:
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND [...] AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Noninfringement is mentioned right there. It literally says that I DO NOT promise you that my code that I license to you under MIT (in good faith, ofc) does not infringe anyone's rights.