Monday, June 03, 2002

Breast Intentions give rise to Class Action lawsuit From Newsweek:  Miami lawyer Reed Somberg filed a class-action suit against Penthouse Magazine owner Bob Guccione on the grounds that he committed fraud when he promised his 1.2 million readers that the June issue contained nude photos of tennis player Anna Kournikova.  The photos were of someone who merely looked like her, and Guccione insists that he acted with good intentions.  The 47-year-old Somberg disagrees, saying he spent $8.99 on a lie and he wants his money back. Everything is a class action these days, but I'm sure the plaintiff's bar will insist that class actions provide important remedies for wrongs that would otherwise go unredressed.  This case is obviously a testament to that argument. 5:33:30 PM

Fishing & Class Actions in Alaska From Findlaw: "The Alaska Supreme Court has reinstated a class action lawsuit by Bristol Bay salmon fishermen who accuse processors and buyers of conspiring to fix prices in the world's largest salmon fishery. The court Friday overturned a 1999 summary judgment ruling by Superior Court Judge Peter A. Michalski in favor of the defendant companies." 2:27:12 PM

Legal fight over leak ends with whimper From National Law Journal: "Attorneys who won $38.8 million in West Virginia's first class action toxic tort case have agreed to settle for a fraction of that amount after a federal appeals court ruled their original victory was based on the testimony of a witness who did not know what he was talking about. Plaintiffs' counsel Richard Neely of Neely & Hunter of Charleston, W.Va., said his clients would accept an offer of $1.35 million from FMC Corp. rather than return to court for a third trial after a defense ruling last summer by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kahn v FMC Corp., No. CA 95-1098-2." [Story Link]  1:48:48 PM

© Copyright 2002 Ernest Svenson.