/raid1/www/Hosts/bankrupt/CAR_Public/090917.mbx
C L A S S A C T I O N R E P O R T E R
Thursday, September 17, 2009, Vol. 11, No. 184
Headlines
BANK OF AMERICA: Suit Complains About Timing of Weekend Payments
COVENTRY HEALTH: Stull Stull Investigating 401(k) Claims
DURA AUTOMOTIVE: EEOC Claims Drug-Related Firings Were Wrong
ESQUIRE DEPOSITION: Charges with Shortchanging Court Reporters
IBASIS: Derivative Shareholder Complaint Filed in Mass. State Ct.
MADISON MIRISCH: Suit Claims L.A.-Based Scam Stole $700,000
MAXXAM INC: Accused of Unfairly Cashing Out Small Shareholders
MERCK & CO: Bellwether "Boles" Fosamax Trial Ends in a Mistrial
MUSIC MERCHANTS: Guitar Pricing Challenged in S.D. Calif. Lawsuit
NATIONAL ARBITRATION: Milberg Suit Alleges Firm Wasn't Neutral
SIOUXLAND UROLOGY: Wants Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed
SONY ELECTRONICS: Some VAIO Notebook Touchpads Claimed Defective
ST. LOUIS: Residents Complain About Criminalized Garbage Fees
*********
BANK OF AMERICA: Suit Complains About Timing of Weekend Payments
----------------------------------------------------------------
Courthouse News Service reports that Bank of America runs up
customers' late fees by refusing to credit timely electronic
payments received on weekends, a class action claims in Los
Angeles Superior Court.
COVENTRY HEALTH: Stull Stull Investigating 401(k) Claims
--------------------------------------------------------
Stull, Stull & Brody says it has commenced an investigation
relating to the 401(k) defined contribution retirement plans of
Coventry Health Care, Inc., Retirement Savings Plan (NYSE: CVH).
Among other things, Stull, Stull & Brody is investigating whether
fiduciaries of the Coventry 401(k) plan may have violated the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 by failing to
disclose the Company's true operating condition to participants
and beneficiaries of the plans (including disclosures relating
to):
(i) that the Company employed under-pricing strategies to
create the appearance that its new Medicare Private-Fee-
For-Service ("PFFS") initiative was capable of driving
the high growth necessary to offset Coventry's
contracting Commercial business;
(ii) that the Company failed to disclose the true risks
associated with its under-pricing strategies, including
the fact that Coventry was generating new Medicare PFFS
membership at the expense of profit margins and
profitability;
(iii) that the true negative effects of the Company's under-
pricing strategies were masked by improper claims
assumptions that materially understated Coventry's
healthcare claim expenses;
(iv) that Coventry's disclosure and internal controls
representations, and defendants' certifications thereon,
were materially false and misleading when made; and
(v) that, as a result of the foregoing, defendants lacked a
reasonable basis for their positive statements about the
Company, its prospects and earnings guidance), by
offering Coventry stock as an investment option under
the plans when it was not prudent to do so, and/or by
allowing an imprudent overconcentration of Company stock
in the Company's 401(k) plans.
If you held Coventry stock in an individual account under any of
the Company's 401(k) plans at any time since January 1, 2007, you
may, if you wish, consult with a representative of Stull, Stull &
Brody at no cost or obligation. If you wish to discuss this
action or have any questions concerning this notice or your
rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact
Tzivia Brody, Esq. at Stull, Stull & Brody by e-mail at
SSBNY@aol.com, by calling toll-free 1-800-337-4983, or by fax at
212/490-2022, or by writing to Stull, Stull & Brody, 6 East 45th
Street, New York, NY 10017.
Stull, Stull & Brody -- http://www.ssbny.com/-- has extensive
experience in protecting the rights of 401(k) plan participants
and beneficiaries and shareholders of public companies. Stull,
Stull & Brody is presently representing classes of 401(k) plan
participants in many class action cases throughout the country.
Stull, Stull & Brody maintains offices in New York and Los
Angeles.
DURA AUTOMOTIVE: EEOC Claims Drug-Related Firings Were Wrong
------------------------------------------------------------
Liz Potocsnak at Courthouse News Service reports that in a
federal class action, the EEOC claims that DURA Automotive
Systems, a major auto partsmaker, illegally tested workers for
prescription drugs, openly reported the results, demanded that
workers stop taking drugs prescribed by their physicians,
suspended or fired more than 30 workers who tested positive for
taking medication their doctors had prescribed, and used drug
tests "to screen out individuals with disabilities."
The EEOC says that DURA suspended more than 30 employees who
tested positive for legally prescribed medications, though it had
no reason even to test the workers. DURA reported the results in
front of other employees, illegally inquired why the workers were
taking the prescribed drugs, and fired them if they could not
stop taking them, the agency said.
DURA calls itself the largest independent manufacturer of driver
control systems, such as door and seat-control mechanisms. The
EEOC lawsuit covers action the company took at its Lawrenceburg,
Tenn. production plant.
DURA boasts that is becoming "more competitive and profitable
through cost reduction, process improvements, and technological
innovation," but the EEOC says the company may not get rid of
employees who need prescribed medications - nor even test for
them - unless DURA can show that the workers are unable to do
their jobs.
Annie Corbin worked for DURA for more than 20 years and was on
workers' compensation leave for a foot injury when she was asked
to come in for testing, according to the complaint. She brought
all of her medications, as instructed, and provided a urine
sample, which tested positive for "certain chemicals."
DURA told her she could not return to work unless she passed a
drug test, so she stopped taking her prescribed medication, and
had to work in "excruciating pain," the EEOC said. She was taking
a legally prescribed drug to because of an injury she had
suffered on the job, and for which she had to take workers' comp
leave, according to the complaint.
DURA fired her "due to the medical restrictions that her treating
physicians had placed on her," and she was not the only one, the
EEOC said.
It fired another woman after 22 years of work because the pain
she suffered when she tried to work without her medicine was
unbearable, the EEOC said.
Most of the workers cited in the complaint gave DURA more than 15
years of work, then lost their jobs for taking prescribed
medication or were forced to work in pain, the EEOC said.
The agency wants a permanent injunction to stop DURA from
violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. It also seeks back
pay and compensatory damages for the injured workers.
A copy of the Complaint in EEOC v. DURA Automotive Systems, Inc.,
Case No. 09-cv-00059 (M.D. Tenn.), is available at:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/15/EEOCTenn.pdf
The EEOC is represented by:
Sally Ramsey, Esq.
Mark Chen, Esq.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
50 Vantage Way, Suite 202
Nashville, TN 37228
Telephone: (615) 736-2105
ESQUIRE DEPOSITION: Charges with Shortchanging Court Reporters
--------------------------------------------------------------
Courthouse News Service reports that Esquire Deposition Services
charges for computer-generated word indexes it attaches to
transcripts, but pays its reporters only for the transcripts,
according to a class action complaint filed by a party to a civil
lawsuit, in Los Angeles Superior Court.
IBASIS: Derivative Shareholder Complaint Filed in Mass. State Ct.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
IBasis failed to inform investors of the extent of its stock
options grants to insiders, shareholders claim in Middlesex
County Court, Boston.
A copy of the complaint in Shutvet v. Gneezy, et al., Case No.
09-3577 (Mass. Super. Ct, Middlesex Cty.), is available at:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/15/SCAIBasis.pdf
The plaintiff is represented by:
Terence K. Ankner, Esq.
PARTRIDGE, ANKNER & HORSTMANN, LLP
The Berkeley Building
200 Berkeley Street, 16th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Telephone: 617-859-9999
- and -
Marc M. Umeda, Esq.
George C. Aguilar, Esq.
Julia M. Williams, Esq.
Gregory Del Gaizo
ROBBINS UMEDA LLP
600 B Street, Suite 1900
San Diego, CA 92101
Telephone: 619-525-3990
- and -
Kip B. Shuman, Esq.
THE SHUMAN LAW FIRM
885 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, CO 80302
Telephone: 303-861-3003
MADISON MIRISCH: Suit Claims L.A.-Based Scam Stole $700,000
-----------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Banicki at Courthouse News Service reports that
Madison, Mirisch, Zarandi & Fox took more than $700,000 from
unsophisticated investors by selling them unregistered securities
they never even delivered, a woman claims in a Superior Court
class action.
Named plaintiff Daniella Leon says she lost her life's savings in
the deal -- $45,000 -- and never received certificates of
ownership for the three "units" she bought, but only got a copy
of the seller's tax returns, with her name omitted as a partner.
Mr. Leon says she bought the "units" from her longtime friend,
co-defendant, Vicky Mirisch, of defendant Mirisch Investments.
Sunleer Holdings also is named as a defendant.
Madison, Mirisch, Zarandi & Fox, of Studio City, raised more than
$700,000 from more than 30 limited partners who bought "units,"
the complaint states.
Ms. Leon says she never received any evidence of her ownership of
the units but was given a copy of the company's 2006, 2007, and
2008 tax forms with her name omitted as a partner.
Ms. Leon is represented by:
Vahn Alexander, Esq.
Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP
1901 Avenue of the Stars, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Telephone: (310) 461-1426
MAXXAM INC: Accused of Unfairly Cashing Out Small Shareholders
--------------------------------------------------------------
Courthouse News Service reports that Maxxam is unfairly cashing
out holders of fewer than 250 shares in a coercive "Going-Dark
Plan," that will leave them "with an illiquid interest in the
company which will no longer be required to make any regular
financial disclosures," a class action claims in Delaware
Chancery Court.
A copy of the Complaint in Kahn v. Hurwitz, et al., Case No. 4893
(Del. Ch. Ct.), is available at:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/15/SCAMaxxam.pdf
The Plaintiff is represented by:
Jospeh A. Rosenthal, Esq.
ROSENTHAL, MONHAIR & GODDESS, P.A.
919 N. Market Street, Suite 1401
Wilmington, DE 19899
Telephone: 302-656-4433
- and -
James S. Notis, Esq.
GARDY & NOTIS, LLP
440 Sylvan Ave., Suite 110
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Telephone: 201-567-7377
- and -
Harold B. Obstfeld, Esq.
100 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Telephone: 212-696-1212
MERCK & CO: Bellwether "Boles" Fosamax Trial Ends in a Mistrial
---------------------------------------------------------------
To those tracking the first product liability trial accusing
Merck's osteoporosis drug Fosamax of causing debilitating jaw
bone deterioration, Andrew Longstreth at The American Lawyer
reports says it should come as no surprise that a mistrial was
declared last Friday. But the lead plaintiffs lawyer's view of
the eight-member jury's failure to reach a verdict may be a bit
more eyebrow-raising.
Last Wednesday, after one holdout juror complained of physical
threats, Manhattan federal district court Judge John Keenan
called for a daylong "cooling off period" to ease tensions in the
jury room. But the day off on Thursday brought the jury no closer
to agreement, according to lead plaintiffs counsel Timothy
O'Brien, Esq., of Levin Papantonio Thomas Mitchell Echsner &
Proctor.
O'Brien told Mr. Longstreth that after jurors deliberated Friday
morning, Judge Keenan asked the foreperson whether they could
come to a unanimous agreement by 5:30. "Absolutely not," the
foreperson said, in Mr. O'Brien's account. At that point,
O'Brien moved for a mistrial. Judge Keenan granted it, over
Merck's objections.
This trial was supposed to be a bellwether for the nearly 900
Fosamax cases Merck faces. So what does the mistrial signify for
the mass tort? Mr. O'Brien told Mr. Longstreth that the ruling
probably came as a "shock" to Merck, given the severe limits
Judge Keenan placed on the liability evidence Mr. O'Brien could
present. (As the legal newspaper previously reported, because
Mr. O'Brien's client, 71-year-old Shirley Boles, developed jaw
problems no later than September 2003 and Merck wasn't put on
notice about Fosamax's potential problems until late 2003, Judge
Keenan ruled that the jury couldn't consider post-2003 evidence
for liability purposes.)
That ruling, Mr. O'Brien said, should have given Merck a big
advantage because the most damaging evidence against the
pharmaceutical company came after 2003, when, according to the
plaintiffs, the company failed to follow the Food and Drug
Administration's recommendations about warnings for Fosamax.
"The jury didn't see the great hits," said Mr. O'Brien, adding
that most of the other plaintiffs will be able to present
evidence that Boles wasn't permitted to put on.
Merck, which was represented in the Boles case by Paul Strain,
Esq., of Venable and Christy Jones, Esq., of Butler, Snow,
O'Mara, Steves & Cannada, issued a statement contending that most
of the jurors sided with the defense. "The plaintiff failed to
prove her case before this jury," said Mr. Strain. "The jury
notes included one presented to Judge Keenan on September 9
signed by seven of the eight jurors, including the jury
foreperson, stating that the seven jurors 'agree that there is no
evidence of proof that Fosamax caused Mrs. Boles's injury.'"
According to Mr. O'Brien, the Boles case will be retried next
spring. The next Fosamax trial is scheduled for January.
Mrs. Boles of Fort Walton, Fla., is one of some 900 plaintiffs
who have filed suit against Merck in both federal and state
courts claiming that, instead of offsetting bone loss associated
with menopause, Fosamax actually caused deterioration in the jaw
bone.
Mr. Longstreth indicates that information from the New York Law
Journal and The Associated Press contributed to this report, and
this article first appeared on The Am Law Litigation Daily.
Merck's latest disclosures and updates concerning Foxamax
litigation and In re: Fosamax Products Liability Litigation, MDL
No. 1789; Master Docket No. 06-md-1789 (S.D.N.Y.) (Keenan, J.),
appeared in the April 2, 2009, edition of the Class Action
Reporter.
In MDL No. 1789, Merck & Co. is represented by:
James C. Fraser, Esq.
Christina Lee Gaarder, Esq.
James E. Gray, Esq.
Kathleen Sullivan Hardway, Esq.
Michael L. Hecht, Esq.
David J. Heubeck, Esq.
M. King Hill, III, Esq.
Michael Broughton MacWilliams, Esq.
Stephen E. Marshall, Esq.
Dana Petersen Moore, Esq.
VENABLE LLP
Two Hopkins Plaza
750 E. Pratt Street, Suite 900
Baltimore, MD 21202
Telephone: (410) 244-7420
Fax: (410) 244-7742
E-mail: jcfraser@venable.com
clgaarder@venable.com
jegray@venable.com
kshardway@venable.com
mlhecht@venable.com
djheubeck@venable.com
mkhill@venable.com
mbmacwilliams@venable.com
semarshall@venable.com
dpmoore2@venable.com
- and -
Dan H. Ball, Esq.
Bryan Cave
211 North Broadway
One Metropolitan Square, Ste. 3600
St. Louis, MO 63102
Telephone: (314) 259-2000
- and -
Charles Franklin Beall, Jr., Esq.
Moore Hill & Westmoreland PA
220 W Garden St. - 9th Floor
PO Box 13290
Pensacola, FL 32591-3290
Telephone: (850) 434-3541
- and -
William Joseph Beausoleil, Jr., Esq.
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
350 South Grand Avenue, 36th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Telephone: (212) 837-6000
E-mail: beausole@hugheshubbard.com
- and -
Robert C. Brock, Esq.
Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A
P.O. Box 270
Montgomery, AL 36101
Telephone: (344) 206-3276
E-mail: rcg@rsjg.com
- and -
S. Keenan Carter, Esq.
James M. Doran, Jr., Esq.
Lela M. Hollabaugh, Esq.
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP
511 Union Street, Suite 2700
Nashville, TN 37219
Telephone: (615)-244-6380
E-mail: keenan.carter@wallerlaw.com
lela.hollabaugh@wallerlaw.com
- and -
Richard H.C. Clay, Esq.
Andrew Douglas Dill, Esq.
Woodward, Hobson & Fulton, LLP
2500 National City Tower
Louisville, KY 40202
Telephone: (502) 581-8004
- and -
Michael Joseph Corso, Esq.
Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A.
1715 Monroe Street
P.O. Box 280
Fort Myers, FL 33902
Telephone: (239) 344-1170
- and -
Alyson B. Jones, Esq.
Christy D. Jones, Esq.
Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada
PO Box 22567
Jackson, MS 39225-2567
Telephone: (601) 948-5711
E-mail: alyson.jones@butlersnow.com
christy.jones@butlersnow.com
Walgreen Co. is represented by:
Thomas J. Andrews, Esq.
Johnson & Bell, Ltd.
33 West Monroe Street, Suite 2700
Chicago, IL 60603
Telephone: (312) 372-0770
McKesson Corporation is represented by:
Anthony G. Brazil, Esq.
Morris, Polich & Purdy, LLP
1055 West Seventh Street, 24th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Telephone: (213) 891-9100
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is represented by:
Joe Gregory Hollingsworth, Esq.
Spriggs & Hollingsworth
1350 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: (202)-898-5800
Fax: (202)-682-1639
E-mail: jhollingsworth@hollingsworthllp.com
- and -
Ethan D. Stein, Esq.
Gibbons P.C.
One Pennsylvania Plaza, 37th Floor
New York, NY 10119
Telephone: 212-649-4751
Fax: 973-639-6472
E-mail: estein@gibbonslaw.com
Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, U.S., L.L.C., and
Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc., are represented by:
James Hamilton Neale, Esq.
Lana K. Varney, Esq.
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
666 Fifth Avenue - 30th Floor
New York, NY 10103
Telephone: (212) 318-3139
Fax: (212) 318-3400
jneale@fulbright.com
D.D.S. Theodore Kielts, a named defendant, is represented by:
Iva Duke Halley, Esq.
Halley & Talbot Law Firm
13901 Quail Pointe Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Telephone: (405) 602-5600
D.D.S. Mouhannad Budeir, a named defendant, is represented by:
Andrew R. McCumber, Esq.
McCumber, Daniels, Buntz, Hartig and Puig P.A
4830 West Kennedy Blvd, Suite 300
Tampa, FL 33609
Telephone: (813)-287-2822
D.D.S. Theodore Kielts, a named defendant, is represented by:
James D. Wetzel, Esq.
Stephens, Lynn, Klein, Lacava, Hoffman, Puya
101 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste 2500
Tampa, FL 33602
Telephone: (813) 209-9611
and Plaintiffs are represented by:
Timothy Michael O'Brien, Esq.
Benjamin Warren Gordon, Esq.
Peter Lawrence Kaufman, Esq.
Neil E. McWilliams, Jr., Esq.
James Michael Papantonio, Esq.
Troy Alan Rafferty, Esq.
Meghan M. Tans, Esq.
LEVIN, PAPANTONIO,THOMAS, MITCHELL,
ESCHSNER & PROCTOR, P.A.
P.O. Box 12308
Pensacola, FL 32591
Telephone: (850) 435-7000
- and -
Douglas R. Plymale, Esq.
James R. Dugan, II, Esq.
Murray Law Firm
650 Poydras Street, Suite 2150
New Orleans, LA 70130
Telephone: (504)-648-0180
- and -
Andy L. Allman, Esq.
Clinton L. Kelly, Esq.
Fred Dulin Kelly, Esq.
Kelly, Kelly & Allman
629 E. Main Street
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Telephone: (615) 824-3703
- and -
Vance Robert Andrus, Esq.
Andrus Boudreaux P.L.C
1775 Sherman Street Suite 3100
Denver, CO 80203
Telephone: (303)-376-6360
- and -
Richard Joseph Arsenault, Esq.
John Randall Whaley, Esq.
Neblett, Beard and Arsenault
P.O. Box 1190
Alexandria, LA 71309
Telephone: (318)-487-9874
- and -
John A. Bahe, Esq.
Shawn E. Cantley, Esq.
Bahe, Cook, Cantley & Jones, P.L.L.C
Kentucky Home Life Building
239 S. Fifth Street, Ste. 700
Louisville, KY 40202
Telephone: (502)-587-2002
- and -
Louis R. Battista, Esq.
Jacquelyn S. Holden, Esq.
Michael Jo Ryan, Esq.
Krupnick Campbell, Malone
700 S.E. 3 Avenue, Suite 100
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
Telephone: (954)-763-8181
- and -
Russel Harrison Beatie, Jr., Esq.
Russel Harrison Beatie, LLP
521 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1700
New York, NY 10175
Telephone: (212)-888-9000
- and -
Casey A. Bell, Esq.
Goforth, Lewis, Sanford, LLP
1111 Bagby Street, Ste. 2200
Houston, TX 77002
Telephone: (713) 650-0022
- and -
Robert Joseph Bench, Esq.
Laura Veronica Yaeger, Esq.
Fleming and Associates LLP
1330 Post Oak Blvd. Suite 3030
Houston, TX 77056
Telephone: (713) 621-7944
- and -
Amy M. Boomhouwer, Esq.
Gancedo & Nieves LLP
144 W. Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91105
Telephone: (626)-685-9800
- and -
Rebecca Ann Briggs, Esq.
Joseph Scott Nabers, Esq.
Blizzard McCarthy & Nabers
440 Louisiana, Suite 1710
Houston, TX 77002
Telephone: 713-844-3750
- and -
David R. Buchanan, Esq.
Christopher Adam Seeger, Esq.
Seeger Weiss LLP
One William Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Telephone: (212)-584-0700
- and -
Walter G. Campbell, Esq.
Krupnick Campbell, Malone
700 S.E. 3 Avenue, Suite 100
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
Telephone: (954)-763-8181
- and -
Troy Damon Chandler, Esq.
[Address unknown]
Fax: (512) 320-9101
E-mail: foo@500pearl.com
- and -
Darren R. Cook, Esq.
Conner L. Helms, Esq.
Erin M. Moore, Esq.
Helms & Underwood
2500 First National Center
120 North Robinson Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Telephone: (405) 319-0700
- and -
Wesley Chadwick Cook, Esq.
Gerald Bernard Taylor, Jr., Esq.
Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.
P.O. Box 4160
Montgomery, AL 36104
Telephone: (334)-269-2343
- and -
Annesley Hodges DeGaris, Esq.
Cory, Watson, Crowder & Degaris, P.C.
2131 Magnolia Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Telephone: (205) 328-2200
- and -
Aaron K. Dickey, Esq.
Goldenberg, Heller, etal.
2227 South State Route 157
PO Box 959
Edwardsville, IL 62025
- and -
Anthony C Donofrio, Esq.
Law Offices of Anthony C. Donofrio, PLLC
5518 Merrick Road
Massapequa, NY 11758
- and -
Salman H. Elmi, Esq.
Michelle Adriene Parfitt, Esq.
Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP
2000 "L" Street, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
- and -
David F. Ennis, Esq.
Ennis & Ennis, P.A.
110 E. Broward Boulevard, Suite 1700
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Telephone: (954) 315-3934
- and -
Richard W. Ewing, Esq.
Vickery Waldner & Malta, LLP
One Riverway Drive, Suite 1150
Houston, TX 77056
Telephone: (713) 526-1100
- and -
Val Patrick Exnicios, Sr., Esq.
Liska, Exnicios,Nungesser
365 Canal Street, Suite 2290
New Orleans, LA 70130
Telephone: (504)-410-9611
- and -
Lowell Wayne Finson, Esq.
Phillips and Associates
3030 N. Third Street Suite 1100
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Telephone: (602)-258-8900
- and -
C. Patrick Flynn, Esq.
Michael K. Radford, Esq.
Flynn & Radford
320 Seven Springs Way, Suite 150
Brentwood, TN 37027
Telephone: (615) 370-9448
- and -
Amy C. Fontenot, Esq.
Liska, Exnicios,Nungesser
365 Canal Street, Suite 2290
New Orleans, LA 70130
Telephone: (504)-410-9611
- and -
David Lowers Friend, Esq.
Hissey Kientz, L.L.P.
9442 Capital of Texas Hwy., Suite 400
Austin, TX 78759
Telephone: (512) 320-9100
- and -
Cynthia L. Garber, Esq.
Carlos A. Prietto, III, Esq.
Robinson, Calcagnie and Robinson
620 Newport Center Drive, 7th Floor
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Telephone: (949) 720-1288
- and -
Robert Geoffrey Germany, Esq.
Crymes G. Pittman, Esq.
Joseph E. Roberts, Jr., Esq.
Pittman Germany, Roberts, Welsh, LLP
410 S. President Street
Jackson, MS 39201
Telephone: (601)-948-6200
- and -
Sarah Jane Graziano, Esq.
Hensley Legal Group, P.C.
426 East New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Telephone: (317) 472-3333
- and -
James Frances Green, Esq.
Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP
2000 "L" Street, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone (202) 416-6371
- and -
Anthony D. Irpino, Sr., Esq.
The Irpino Law Firn
365 Canal Street, Suite 2290
New Orleans, LA 70130
Telephone: (504)-525-1500
- and -
Kate Elizabeth Jaycox, Esq.
Gary Lester Wilson, Esq.
Genevieve M. Zimmerman, Esq.
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
2800 LaSalle Plaza
800 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Telephone: (612) 349-8452
- and -
Regina Sharlow Johnson, Esq.
Lopez McHugh, LLP
712 East Main Street Suite 2a
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Telephone: (856)-273-8500
- and -
Melanie Griggs Lagarde, Esq.
St. Martin, Williams and Bourque
4084 Highway 311
Houma, LA 70360
Telephone: (985)-876-3891
- and -
Jeff Luke Larson, Esq.
Goforth, Lewis, Sanford, LLP
1111 Bagby Street, Ste. 2200
Houston, TX 77002
Telephone: (713)-650-0022
- and -
Jeffrey J. Lowe, Esq.
The Legal Aid Society
111 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Telephone: 316 678 3400
- and -
Brian James Malloy, Esq.
The Brandi Law Firm
44 Montgomery Street, Suite 1050
San Francisco, CA 941014
Telephone: (415) 989-1800
- and -
Tim Maloney, Esq.
Maloney & Campolo, LLP
900 S.E. Military Drive
San Antonio, TX 78214
Telephone: (210) 922-2200
- and -
Michael J. Miller, Esq.
The Miller Firm, LLC
108 Railroad Avenue
Orange, VA 22960
Telephone: (540)-672-4224
- and -
Mike J. Miller, Esq.
Solberg, Stewart, Miller & Tjon
1129 5th Avenue South
Fargo, ND 58103
Telephone: (701) 237-3166
- and -
Philip Jeremy Miller, Esq.
Beatie and Osborn LLP
521 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10175
Telephone: (212) 546-0114
- and -
Niels Patrick Murphy, Esq.
Murphy & Anderson, P.A.
50 North Laura Street, Ste 1685
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Telephone: (904) 598-9282
- and -
Howard Lynn Nations, Esq.
Law Office of Howard Nations, P. C.
4515 Yoakum Blvd
Houston, TX 77056
Telephone: 713 807-8400
- and -
Tina B. Nieves, Esq.
Gancedo & Nieves LLP
144 W. Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91105
Telephone: (626) 685-9800
- and -
Kevin J. O'Shea, Esq.
Vincent Petrosino, Esq.
Serpico, Petrosino, & DiPiero, Ltd.
61 West Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Telephone: (312) 787-1600
- and -
Daniel Adam Osborn, Esq.
Beatie and Osborn LLP
521 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10175
Telephone: (212)-888-9000
- and -
Daryl Dion Parks, Esq.
Parks and Crump LLC
240 North Magnolia Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Telephone: (850)-222-3333
- and -
Norman Perlberger, Esq.
Pomerantz, Perlberger & Lewis, LLP
One Presidential Boulevard, Suite 315
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Telephone: (610) 664-3222
- and -
Thomas Christopher Pinedo, Esq.
Sanford Pinedo LLP
2016 Bissonnet
Houston, TX 77005
Telephone: (713)-524-6677
- and -
Christopher Morgan Posey, Esq.
The Edward A. Williamson Law Firm
509 Church Avenue
Philadelphia, MS 39350
Telephone: (601) 656-5634
- and -
Eduardo Rodriguez, Esq.
Kim, Pardy & Rodriguez, P.A.,
Post Office Box 3747
Orlando, FL 32802-3747
Telephone: (407) 481-0066
- and -
Robert D. Rowland, Esq.
Goldenberg, Heller, et al.
2227 South State Route 157
PO Box 959
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Telephone: (618) 656-5150
- and -
Shelly Ann Sanford, Esq.
Sanford Stevenson Riff, LLP
2016 Bissonnet
Houston, TX 77005
Telephone: (713) 237-1100
- and -
Marcus Lovell Stevenson, Esq.
Goforth, Lewis, Sanford, LLP
1111 Bagby Street, Ste. 2200
Houston, TX 77002
Telephone: (713)-650-0022
- and -
Linda Laurent Thomas, Esq.
Michelle W. Wan, Esq.
Thomas & Wan L.L.P
909B W. Main
Houston, TX 77006
Telephone: (713) 529-1177
- and -
Daniel James Thornburgh, Esq.
Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC
803 N. Palafox Street
Pensacola, FL 32501
Telephone: (850) 916-7450
- and -
John O. Threadgill, Esq.
Threadgill Law Firm
9724 Kingston Pike, Suite 701
Knoxville, TN 37922
Telephone: (865) 588-4100
- and -
John Julian Vecchione, Esq.
Valad & Vecchione, PLLC
3863 Plaza Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
Telephone: (202) 218-0023
- and -
Paul F. Waldner, Esq.
Vickery Waldner & Mallia L.L.P.
One Riverway, Suite 1150
Houston, TX 77056
Telephone: 713-526-1100
- and -
James Andrew Wardell, Esq.
Wardell & Quezon, P.A.
805 W. Azeele Street
Tampa, FL 33606
Telephone: (813) 387-3333
- and -
Seth Sharrock Webb, Esq.
Brown & Crouppen
720 Olive Street, Suite 1800
St. Louis, MO 63101
Telephone: (314) 421-0216
- and -
Conrad S.P. Williams, III, Esq.
St. Martin, Williams and Bourque
4084 Highway 311
Houma, LA 70360
Telephone: (985)-876-3891
- and -
Deborah L. Ziegler, Esq.
Reich and Binstock
4265 San Felipe, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77027
Telephone: (713) 622-7271
MUSIC MERCHANTS: Guitar Pricing Challenged in S.D. Calif. Lawsuit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Banicki at Courthouse News Service reports that an
antitrust class action claims the National Association of Music
Merchants conspired with the Guitar Center and Fender Musical
Instruments to raise prices on amplifiers, guitars and other
"fretted instruments." The class claims the Association shared
pricing information to protect its members from competition,
"restricting retail price competition, or by eliminating price
discounting entirely."
Guitar Center is almost five times the size of its nearest
competitor, according to the federal complaint. It is the only
national guitar chain, has 295 stores, and a market share that
grew from 6.1 percent to 26.6 percent from 1997 to 2007, the
complaint states.
The complaint also alleges price-fixing on guitar strings.
Fender makes and sells fretted instruments, including the
nation's best-selling guitar, the complaint states.
In March this year the Federal Trade Commission issued a cease
and desist order to the National Association of Music Merchants
(NAMM) and settled charges that the 9,000-member association had
"permitted and encouraged" unfair methods of competition among
its members.
The FTC alleged that between 2005 and 2007, NAMM held meetings
and trade shows where retailers were encouraged to exchange
competitive information, strategies for implementing minimum
advertised pricing, and restricting retail price information.
"At meetings and programs sponsored by NAMM, competing retailers
of musical instruments discussed strategies for raising retail
prices and exchanged information on competitively sensitive
information such as prices, margins, minimum advertised price
policies, and their enforcement," the FTC alleged.
With Guitar Center's market power and NAMM's backing, it has been
able to manipulate prices and control the market to suit itself,
the complaint states.
The U.S. musical instrument market grossed $7.1 billion in 2008,
more than $1.5 of which came from fretted instruments, according
to the complaint.
Since 2006, the price of an average guitar has increased by more
than $60, the complaint states. Guitar Center and Fender have
profited despite a 10 percent decline in unit sales, the
complaint adds.
The class claims that competition has been unfairly "restrained,
suppressed, and in some cases destroyed."
The complaint accuses NAMM, Guitar Center and Fender of violating
the Sherman Antitrust Act, unlawfully restraining trade,
attempted monopolization, and unfair competition.
Lead plaintiff David Giambusso demands an injunction and class
damages.
A copy of the complaint in Giambusso v. Nat'l Assoc. of Music
Merchants, Inc., et al., Case No. 09-cv-2002 (S.D. Calif.), is
available at:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/15/MusicGuitars.pdf
The plaintiff is represented by:
Mark Tamblyn, Esq.
Neha Duggal, Esq.
WEXLER WALLACE LLP
455 Capitol Mall, Suite 231
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: 916-492-1100
- and -
Lee Squitieri, Esq.
Garry Stevens, Esq.
SQUITIERI & FEARON, LLP
32 East 57th Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: 212-421-6492
NATIONAL ARBITRATION: Milberg Suit Alleges Firm Wasn't Neutral
--------------------------------------------------------------
The law firm of Milberg LLP has filed a class action lawsuit in
the United States District Court for the Central District of
California on behalf of all persons who used National Arbitration
Forum, LLC's arbitration services during the period from June 1,
2006 to the present, inclusive. The complaint is available from
the Court or can be viewed at Milberg LLP's website at
http://www.milberg.com/
Until recently, NAF held itself out as a leading forum for
consumer arbitrations, which is how many consumer debt disputes
are resolved. An arbitration forum must above all be impartial,
so that consumers can be confident that their disputes with
creditors (e.g., banks, credit card companies, phone companies,
etc.) will be heard fairly, as would be the case if the dispute
was resolved by a court of law. The class action lawsuit filed
against NAF and related parties alleges that NAF has misled
consumers for years in this regard because it was owned by and/or
beholden to a debt collection agency and debt collection law
firm, such that in reality it was a debt collector, not a neutral
forum for resolving disputes by the debt collection industry
against consumers. The result of these alliances was near perfect
success rates by debt collectors against consumers in NAF
arbitrations.
More specifically, the complaint alleges that NAF, National
Arbitration Forum, LLC, Mann Bracken, LLP, Accretive LLC, Agora
Fund I GP, LLC, Axiant, LLC, and Forthright Solutions, falsely
held NAF out to be independent and unaffiliated with any persons
or entities within or outside the collections industry and
falsely presented its arbitration services as neutral. According
to the complaint, Mann Bracken is a law firm that claims to
specialize in consumer debt collection matters, but is a debt
collector in its own right. NAF and Mann Bracken are both owned
by Defendant Accretive who owns and controls both NAF and Mann
Bracken, and their related entities. According to the complaint,
NAF is now "under siege by local and state prosecutors for
working alongside creditors, rubber-stamping illegitimate
arbitration awards against consumers, deceiving the courts and
the public, and undermining the integrity of the arbitration
system."
The complaint specifically alleges that NAF maintained a near
perfect success rate -- ruling in favor of business entities --
by engaging in improper, deceptive and corrupt acts, including:
(a) establishing incentives for arbitrators to favor debt
collectors over consumers; (b) disregarding consumers' evidence
and/or arguments; (c) overlooking and violating its own Code of
Procedure to benefit debt collectors, and ultimately, large
creditors; (d) disregarding creditors' lack of evidence; and (e)
failing to provide the bona fide arbitration services it promised
to consumers. The complaint also alleges that NAF breached its
contractual obligation to provide arbitration services to
consumers, and that NAF directly benefited from, and was unjustly
enriched by the contractual breaches.
About Milberg
Milberg LLP has been representing individual and institutional
investors for nearly 40 years and serves as lead counsel in
federal and state courts throughout the United States. Please
visit the Milberg Web site at http://www.milberg.com/for more
information about the firm. If you wish to discuss this matter
with us, or have any questions concerning your rights and
interests with regard to this matter, please contact:
California Office:
Jeff Westerman, Esq., or Sabrina Kim, Esq.,
New York Office:
Peter Safirstein, Esq., or Andrei Rado, Esq.
Milberg LLP
Phone number: (800) 320-5081
Email: contactus@milberg.com
SIOUXLAND UROLOGY: Wants Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed
-------------------------------------------------------
KCAU-TC in Sious City, Iowa, reports that Siouxland Urology
Clinic in Dakota Dunes, S.D., wants Kinney, et al. v. Siouxland
Urology Associates P.C., et al., Case No. 09-cv-04051 (D. S.D.)
-- a purported class action lawsuit -- to be dismissed.
Five former patients filed a class action lawsuit in April 2009
against Siouxland Urology Clinic in Dakota Dunes, S.D. The
patients were some of the 5,000 who had to be tested after
Siouxalnd Urology alerted them they may have been exposed to
blood-borne illnesses during a cystoscopy procedure. See Class
Action Reporter, April 21, 2009.
In April South Dakota's Department of Health discovered the
clinic had been reusing medical tubing and saline during the
procedures. Sixteen of the clinics patients have tested positive
for hepatitis.
In a motion filed today, lawyers for the clinic and doctors say
the suit should be dismissed because the five patients can't
prove actual exposure. They also filed a motion saying the
lawsuit should not be classified as a "class-action" suit.
SONY ELECTRONICS: Some VAIO Notebook Touchpads Claimed Defective
----------------------------------------------------------------
Courthouse News Service reports that Sony VAIO premium notebook
computers have defective touchpads and trackpads, a class action
claims in Los Angeles Federal Court.
A copy of the Complaint in Lincoln v. Sony Electronics, Inc., et
al., Case No. 09-cv-06649 (C.D. Calif.), is available at:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/15/CCASony.pdf
The Plaintiff is represented by:
Helen I. Zeldes, Esq.
Alreen Haeggquist, Esq.
Aaron M. Olson, Esq.
ZELDES & HAEGGQUIST, LLP
625 Broadway, Suite 906
San Diego, CA 92101
Telephone: (619) 342-8000
ST. LOUIS: Residents Complain About Criminalized Garbage Fees
-------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Harris at Courthouse News Service reports that St. Louis
County, Missouri, illegally forces residents to pay for unwanted
trash collection under threat of criminal prosecution, a class
action claims in St. Louis County Court.
Named plaintiffs Paul Marquis and Cathy Armbruster say the county
violated its charter by not giving residents 2 years notice and
not holding an election to give voters the right to approve the
trash districts.
St. Louis County ignored an Oct. 21, 2008, Missouri Appeals Court
ruling that it had to give residents the notice, the suit states.
The plaintiffs say that failure to pay for the trash services
could result in fines and imprisonment.
The class consists of all St. Louis County residents and business
owners within trash districts 1-8, who paid for trash services
due to the illegal ordinance. It seeks damages and wants the
ordinances declared void. It is represented by Robert Schultz of
Chesterfield, Mo.
IESI MO, Veolia ES Solid Waste Midwest and Allied Services are
also named as defendants.
A copy of the Complaint in Marquis, et al. v. St. Louis County,
et al., Case No. 09SL-CC03980 (Mo. Cir. Ct., St. Louis Cty.), is
available at:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/15/StLTrash.pdf
The Plaintiffs are represented by:
Robert Schultz, Esq.
SCHULTZ & ASSOCIATES LLP
640 Cepi Drive, Suite A
Chesterfield, MO 63005
Telephone: 636-537-4645
- and -
Lester C. Stuckmeyer, Jr., Esq.
105 Concord Plaza, Suite 209
St. Louis, MO 63128
Telephone: 314-729-0272
*********
S U B S C R I P T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N
Class Action Reporter is a daily newsletter, co-published by
Bankruptcy Creditors' Service, Inc., Fairless Hills,
Pennsylvania, USA, and Beard Group, Inc., Frederick, Maryland
USA. Gracele D. Canilao, Leah Felisilda and Peter A. Chapman,
Editors.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. ISSN 1525-2272.
This material is copyrighted and any commercial use, resale or
publication in any form (including e-mail forwarding, electronic
re-mailing and photocopying) is strictly prohibited without prior
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Information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to
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are $25 each. For subscription information, contact Christopher
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