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Microsoft Dodges Class Action For Now
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2009/02/20 09:32
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Microsoft got rid of the class-action status in the Vista Capable lawsuit, but the plaintiffs might retaliate and appeal the recent ruling. Although they had no immediate comments to make after the ruling, one of the partners in the law firm representing the plaintiffs confirmed that they will take action.
Computerworld quoted Jeffrey Tilden, partner in the Seattle law firm Gordon Tilden Thomas amp; Cordell LLP, as saying: We anticipate further motion practice in the trial court, followed by -- if unsuccessful –an appeal to the Ninth Circuit.
The plaintiffs argued in the court filling that Microsoft was unfair and deceptive in the Vista Capable matter, creating artificial demand, at artificially maintained prices, for PCs that were not Vista ready. Furthermore, consumers paid (more) for the Vista capability, but did not receive the real Vista capability.
A series of emails revealed in court showed how Microsoft representatives were doubtful about tagging some PCs as Vista Capable, as they would deceive consumers. The plaintiffs said consumers bought Vista Capable PCs only to discover that they were able to run just a basic version of the operating system, and were unable to run Vista’s core feature, the Aero interface.
But U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman granted Microsoft the motion for the class decertification of the lawsuit, while also rejecting its demand for summary judgment. This doesn’t absolve Microsoft from coming back to court though, where 6 individual claims are still standing.
Microsoft will still have a hard time proving that consumers have not been deceived when purchasing Vista Capable PCs, but dealing with individual claims is likely to cost them less than it would have under a class-action lawsuit. |
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FBI: Long Island investment firm boss surrenders
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2009/01/26 15:15
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| The owner of a Long Island investment firm accused of cheating people out of more than $100 million is expected to appear in court Tuesday.pFBI spokesman Jim Margolin says Nicholas Cosmo surrendered at a U.S. Postal Inspection Service office in Hicksville on Monday night./ppCosmo runs Agape World Inc. in Hauppauge (HAW'-pawg). He's accused of taking in $300 million from investors and cheating them out of about $140 million./ppA letter hanging in Cosmo's office window denies there was any Ponzi scheme, the type of fraud Bernard Madoff (MAY'-dawf) is accused of committing. A Ponzi, or pyramid, scheme promises unusually high returns and pays early investors with money from later investors./ppDefense attorneys at the Herrick Feinstein law firm haven't returned telephone calls seeking comment. /p |
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Grocery Wholesaler in Federal Antitrust Action
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2009/01/05 08:48
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The nation's two largest grocery wholesalers, Supervalu and Camp;S Wholesale, conspired to allocate territories, restrain competition and inflate prices, according to a federal antitrust class action. Gary's Foods claims the defendants competed until 2003, when Vermont-based Camp;S decided to go after Supervalu territory in the Midwest.
nbsp; nbsp; Rather than extend their competition to the Midwest or continue to compete in New England, the Defendants conspired to allocate territories: Supervalu agreed to
nbsp; nbsp; exit New England in return for Camp;S's commitment not to enter Wisconsin, Iowa, and other states in the Midwest, the complaint states. This scheme has caused substantial harm to retailers: prices for wholesale sales and services have been inflated, fewer manufacturer discounts have been passed on to retailers, and the supply of wholesale sales and services has been artificially reduced.
The two defendants have combined annual revenue of $28 billion,according to the complaint. Gary's also claims the defendantsfraudulently concealed their conspiracy. Gary's demands treble damagesand punitive damages for the class. It is represented by Daniel Kotchenwith Kotchen amp; Low of Washington, D.C. |
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Court reinstates clean air rule during EPA fix
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2008/12/24 09:14
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| In a ruling hailed by environmentalists, a federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated one of President George W. Bush's clean air regulations while the Environmental Protection Agency makes court-mandated changes.pIn July, the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out the Clean Air Interstate Rule, which required 28 mostly Eastern states to reduce smog-forming and soot-producing emissions that can travel long distances in the wind./ppThe court said the EPA overstepped its authority by instituting the rule, citing more than several fatal flaws in the regulation. However, a three-judge panel decided to reinstate the rule while the EPA develops a new clean air program./ppJudge Judith W. Rogers said allowing the country to go without the protection of CAIR while the EPA fixes it would sacrifice clear benefits to public health and the environment./ppThe judges did not give EPA a deadline to come up with new regulations, but warned the agency that this decision is not an indefinite stay of its July ruling./ppThe Environmental Protection Agency had predicted that the Clean Air Interstate Rule would prevent about 17,000 premature deaths a year by dramatically reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. In addition, the EPA said the rule would save up to $100 billion in health benefits, eliminate millions of lost work and school days and prevent tens of thousands of nonfatal heart attacks./p |
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Singapore rules Journal in contempt of court
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2008/11/23 18:48
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| Singapore's High Court ruled the Wall Street Journal Asia in contempt of court for publishing two editorials and a letter to the editor that the government says damaged the reputation of the country's judicial system.pThe court also fined the newspaper 25,000 Singapore dollars ($16,400)./ppJustice Tay Yong Kwang ruled Tuesday against the newspaper and two of its editors, three weeks after Attorney General Walter Woon argued the editorials published in June and July questioned the judiciary's independence from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the ruling People's Action Party. Not meting out punishment in this case would undermine the country's rule of law, the court said./ppThe letter to the editor was written by Chee Soon Juan, head of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party./ppThe editorials and the letter contained insinuations of bias, lack of impartiality and lack of independence and implied that the judiciary is subservient to Mr. Lee and/or the PAP and is a tool for silencing political dissent, Tay wrote in the ruling./ppThere can be no doubt that allegations of the nature mentioned above would immediately cast doubts on the judiciary in Singapore and undermine public confidence./ppThe newspaper's lawyer, Philip Jeyaretnam, was not immediately available for comment. The Wall Street Journal is published by Dow Jones amp; Co., a part of News Corp./ppSingapore's leaders have sued journalists and political opponents several times in past years for alleged defamation. They have won lawsuits and damages against Bloomberg, the Economist and the International Herald Tribune./ppHuman Rights Watch called on Singapore last month to stop using defamation lawsuits to stifle criticism and bankrupt opposition politicians, citing the High Court's decision in October to order Chee and his party to pay $416,000 to Lee and his father, Lee Kuan Yew, in damages stemming from a 2006 defamation case./ppGovernment leaders justify suing political opponents, saying it is necessary to defend their personal and professional reputations since it bears on their ability to govern properly and command respect from Singaporeans. /p |
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High court to rule when judges must bow out
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2008/11/13 18:51
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| The Supreme Court stepped into a sensitive dispute Friday over a state judge's decision to participate in a case that involved a key campaign supporter.pThe justices typically avoid cases about judicial ethics, but they agreed to review the actions of a West Virginia Supreme Court justice whose vote overturned a $50 million verdict against a company that is run by the most generous backer of his election./ppThe high court's decision comes amid growing concern over the role of money in electing state judges. Campaign spending on state supreme court elections rose by 25 percent to nearly $20 million from 2006 to 2008, a national justice reform group said./ppDon Blankenship, the chief executive of Massey Energy Co., spent more than $3 million to help elect Justice Brent Benjamin to the West Virginia high court. Benjamin twice was part of 3-2 majorities that threw out a verdict in favor of Harman Mining Co. in its coal contract dispute with Massey./ppHarman said Benjamin's participation in the case created an appearance of bias strong enough to violate its constitutional rights./ppThe American Bar Assocation and other legal ethics groups have taken Harman's side./ppIn earlier cases, the Supreme Court has said that judges must avoid even the appearance of bias./ppBenjamin repeatedly rejected calls to recuse himself from the case when it was before the state high court. He has since said that he fairly judged the dispute./ppBenjamin issued a lengthy defense of his actions, pointing out that he had no financial interest in the outcome of the case and the campaign money went to an independent group, not his campaign. He had no comment Friday after the court accepted the case for review./ppMassey vice president and general counsel Shane Harvey said, We are confident that the Harman case was properly decided by the West Virginia Supreme Court./ppDavid Fawcett, a Pittsburgh attorney who represents Harman and its founder, Hugh Caperton, said, The question at issue here is central to the future of our court system. Former Solicitor General Theodore Olson will argue the case for Caperton at the Supreme Court, probably in March or April./ppRetired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has not commented on the West Virginia dispute, but she has bemoaned the role of money in state judicial elections./ppThere is too much special interest money and influence in state court elections, O'Connor said recently. It endangers the public's faith in the justice system. If courts are going to stay impartial, leaders in every state need to get moving on reforms./ppFormer Colorado Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis, an advocate for ending partisan election of judges, said the case may get people to pay attention to the problems partisan fundraising creates. Kourlis is executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, which provided the figures on spending in judicial elections./ppThe Supreme Court case stems from a jury verdict in 2002 that concluded Richmond, Va.-based Massey hijacked a coal supply contract from Harman, plunging both it and Caperton into bankruptcy./ppMassey contended Harman filed for bankruptcy because of mounting losses at a mining facility and other problems that had nothing to do with Massey./ppThe case is Caperton v. Massey, 08-22. /p |
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