Walsh v. Apple, Inc. et al

Filing 40

MOTION for Settlement Preliminary Approval for Class Settlement filed by David Kalua, David Walsh. Motion Hearing set for 2/26/2010 09:00 AM in Courtroom 3, 5th Floor, San Jose. (Attachments: # 1 Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Motion for Preliminary Approval, # 2 Declaration of Norman B. Blumenthal in support of Motion for Preliminary Approval, # 3 Certificate of Service, # 4 Proposed Order)(Blumenthal, Norman) (Filed on 1/21/2010)

Download PDF
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BLUMENTHAL, NORDREHAUG & BHOWMIK Norman B. Blumenthal (State Bar #068687) norm@bamlawlj.com Kyle R. Nordrehaug (State Bar #205975) kyle@bamlawlj.com Aparajit Bhowmik (State Bar #248066) aj@bamlawlj.com 2255 Calle Clara La Jolla, CA 92037 Telephone: (858)551-1223 Facsimile: (858) 551-1232 10 UNITED EMPLOYEES LAW GROUP Walter Haines, Esq. (CSB #71075) walter@whaines.com 65 Pine Ave, #312 Long Beach, CA 90802 Telephone: (562) 256-1047 Facsimile: (562) 256-1006 11 Attorneys for Plaintiffs 8 9 12 13 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 14 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 15 SAN JOSE DIVISION 16 17 18 DAVID WALSH, an individual, DAVID KALUA, an individual, on behalf of themselves, and on behalf of all persons similarly situated, 19 Plaintiffs, 20 APPLE, INC., DECLARATION OF NORMAN B. BLUMENTHAL IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT vs. 21 CASE NO. 05:08-cv-04918 JF (Class Action) 22 Judge: Hon. Jeremy Fogel Court: Dept. 3 Defendants. 23 Hearing Date: February 26, 2010 Hearing Time: 9:00 a.m. 24 Action Filed: August 4, 2008 25 26 27 28 1 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 2 I, NORMAN B. BLUMENTHAL, declare as follows: 1. I am a partner in the law firm of Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik counsel of 3 record for the Plaintiffs and the putative Class in this matter. As such, I am fully familiar with the 4 facts, pleadings and history of this matter. The following facts are within my own personal 5 knowledge, and if called as a witness, I could testify competently to the matters stated herein. 6 2. This declaration is being submitted in support of plaintiff’s Motion For an Order 7 (1) Preliminarily Approving Settlement of Plaintiffs’ Claims; (2) Scheduling Final Settlement 8 Hearing; and, (3) Directing that Notice be sent to Class Members. Lodged herewith as Exhibit 1 is 9 a copy of the Stipulation and Settlement Agreement (“Agreement”) along with exhibits thereto. 10 11 Fairness of Settlement 12 3. Under the terms to which the Parties have agreed, Apple will make a payment no 13 more than Nine Hundred Ninety Thousand Dollars ($990,000.00). The settlement will be made on 14 a claims-made basis without a reversion to Apple except for payment of taxes. Decl. Blumenthal, ¶ 15 3. This sum is inclusive of all claims of the Settlement Class members, as well as Class Counsel’s 16 attorneys’ fees and costs, incentive awards for the Class Representatives, PAGA payments, and the 17 cost of class notice and claims administration. 18 4. The Agreement provides for a claims process to make payments on each timely and 19 valid claim submitted. All Class Members will receive an opportunity to participate in and receive 20 payment. 21 5. The Parties engaged in private mediation before the respected Mediator of 22 employment class actions, Mark Rudy, to try and resolve the claims alleged in the Action. The 23 Parties attended the mediation on April 27, 2009, but the Parties were not able to reach settlement at 24 the mediation. Following the exchange of additional information and subsequent discussions and 25 negotiations, the Parties thereafter reached this Agreement. The parties prepared for the mediation 26 by exchanging payroll data, calculating damages and submitting mediation briefs to Mr. Rudy. 27 28 1 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 Subsequent discovery was conducted by both parties, including multiple sets of production 2 requests, interrogatories and admission requests. As a result of the mediation process, the parties 3 ultimately reached a settlement that they believe to be fair and reasonable in light of the experience 4 of the Parties’ attorneys as Counsel in other wage and hour cases, and the uncertainties and cost of 5 the years of litigation the Parties faced if the settlement was not reached. This is a excellent result 6 for the members of the Settlement Class. Liability in this case was uncertain because some or all of 7 the Class Members may have been exempt from certain pay requirements applicable to nonexempt 8 employees. Indeed, some courts have found exemptions to apply in cases involving similar facts. 9 6. The damage estimate calculations to compensate for the amount due for the 10 nonpayment of wages were calculated by DM&A, Plaintiffs’ damage expert. For the Class 11 Members whose claims are at issue here, DM&A reviewed Apple’s time and payroll data and 12 assumed that each employee was not paid for five (5) overtime hours for each week worked during 13 the Class period and missed one meal break per work week. Plaintiffs’ expert then calculated the 14 compensation owed to the members of the class and found that Apple was subject to a Class-wide 15 claim of $2,901,942 for the 5 unpaid hours of overtime. Once estimates for meal break 16 compensation, wage statement penalties, waiting time penalties and other statutory penalties are 17 included, the total damage estimates were $3.6 million. Consequently, Plaintiffs reasonably 18 believed that Apple was subject to total claims of about $3.6 million for the entire Class Period for 19 unpaid overtime and penalties that was susceptible to solid proof. The settlement of $990,000, 20 before deductions, represents 27% of the total possible claims, assuming these amounts could be 21 proven at trial, and represents 34% of the total overtime estimate. Clearly the goal of this litigation 22 has been met. 23 24 Procedural History of the Litigation 25 7. 26 On August 4, 2008, Plaintiff David Walsh filed a complaint in the Southern District of California on behalf of a putative class of “Network Engineers” who worked for Apple by 27 28 2 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 physically installing, physically configuring, and physically replacing and maintaining network 2 equipment. [Doc. No. 1]. The central allegation of the Action was that these employees were 3 misclassified as exempt. On September 9, 2008, Plaintiff Walsh filed a First Amended Complaint. 4 [Doc. No. 5]. Apple filed a motion to strike and for a more definite statement on September 23, 5 2008. [Doc. No. 6]. Apple also filed a motion to change the venue of the Action. [Doc. No. 7]. 6 Upon joint motion of the Parties, on October 24, 2008, the Action was transferred to the United 7 States District Court for the Northern District of California. [Doc. No. 12]. 8 9 8. To address some of the issues raised by the motions filed by Apple, Plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Complaint on December 30, 2008, which in part added David Kalua as a Named 10 Plaintiff and revised the class allegations to include employees in the positions “Systems 11 Engineers,” “Data Center Systems Engineers,” “WAN Network / Voice Engineers,” 12 “Network Engineers,” “Retail Engineers,” and “Information Systems Analyst,” who worked 13 within the Global Network and Computing Services Group ("GNCS") and the Information 14 Systems & Technology Group ("IS&T") at Apple. [Doc. No. 16]. On January 29, 2009, 15 Apple filed a motion to strike and for a more definite statement with respect to the Second 16 Amended Complaint. [Doc. No. 17]. Plaintiffs prepared and filed opposition to the motions 17 by Apple on February 23, 2009. [Doc. No. 19]. The Parties appeared before this Court and 18 argued the motions. On March 23, 2009, this Court granted the motions in part and denied 19 the motions in part. [Doc. No. 21]. 20 9. In accordance with the Order of this Court, Plaintiffs filed their Third 21 Amended Complaint on May 1, 2009. [Doc. No. 31]. Apple answered the Third Amended 22 Complaint on May 18, 2009. [Doc. No. 35]. Litigation of the Action ensued. The Parties 23 prepared a discovery plan and both Parties propounded substantial written discovery. The 24 depositions of David Walsh was taken. The Parties were completing the necessary 25 discovery for class certification, when the Parties agreed to stay formal discovery and 26 resume their settlement discussions. 27 28 3 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 10. Apple provided Plaintiffs with the payroll data, employment information , policies 2 and procedures, job descriptions, performance reviews and other data and which Plaintiff required 3 for mediation. After initial exchanges of information, the Parties mediated on April 27, 2009 before 4 respected mediator, Mark Rudy. The Parties were not able to reach settlement at the mediation 5 session, however, discussions continued in the following motions. Ultimately, these subsequent 6 discussions and negotiations were successful, and the Parties reached this Agreement. 7 11. Although a settlement has been reached and Apple is not opposing the motion for 8 preliminary approval, Apple denies any and all liability or wrongdoing of any kind associated with 9 the claims alleged in the Complaint. Apple maintains, among other things, that they have complied 10 at all times with the California Labor Code, that the members of the putative class are properly 11 classified as exempt under California law and that all members of the putative class were properly 12 paid all wages owed to them. Specifically, in Apple’s view, the Class Members are properly 13 classified as exempt because they spend the majority of their time engaged in work directly related 14 to the general business operations of Apple and were, therefore, covered under the administrative 15 exemption. Apple also maintains that some Class Members were exempt under the executive and 16 professional exemptions. 17 12. Plaintiffs contend that Apple violated California wage and hour laws and the FLSA, 18 and that the Action is appropriate for class certification on the basis that the Plaintiffs’ claims meet 19 the requisites for class certification. Without admitting that class certification is proper, Apple has 20 stipulated that a Class of individuals employed by Apple in a Class Position in California during the 21 respective settlement subclass class periods may be certified for settlement purposes only. The 22 Parties agree that certification for settlement purposes is not an admission that class certification 23 would be proper if the class certification issue were litigated. Further, this agreement is not 24 admissible in this or any other proceeding as evidence that the Class could be certified absent a 25 settlement. Solely for purposes of settling the lawsuits, the Parties stipulate and agree that the 26 requisites for establishing class certification with respect to the Class, as defined above, have been 27 28 4 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 met and are met. 2 13. Class Counsel has conducted a thorough investigation into the facts of the class 3 action. Class Counsel has diligently evaluated the Class Members’ claims against Apple. Prior to 4 the Parties executing the Agreement, Apple provided Class Counsel with access to Class Member 5 data, including data reflecting the weeks worked by the Class Members and relevant salary 6 information for the positions at issue, and contact information for the employees to conduct 7 interviews. Based on the foregoing data and their own independent investigation and evaluation, 8 Class Counsel believes that the settlement with Apple for the consideration and on the terms set 9 forth in this Agreement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and is in the best interest of the Class in 10 light of all known facts and circumstances, including the risk of significant delay, defenses asserted 11 by Apple, and numerous potential appellate issues. 12 13 Plan of Allocation 14 14. In consideration for settlement of this Action and a release of the claims as described 15 16 in the Agreement, Apple agrees to pay into a Settlement Fund a sum not to exceed Nine Hundred 17 Ninety Thousand Dollars ($ 990,000.00) (“Settlement Fund”). The Settlement Fund in this Action 18 has five components: (1) the Settlement Awards; (2) the Named Plaintiff Awards; (3) the Fee and 19 Costs Payment; (4) the Administration Payment; and (5) the PAGA Payment. The “Net Settlement 20 Sum” is the amount remaining in the Settlement Fund after deductions from the Settlement Fund for 21 Administration Costs, the Fee and Costs Award, the Named Plaintiff Awards, and the PAGA 22 Payment. 23 15. The Net Settlement Sum shall be paid entirely to Settlement Class Members, except 24 that if there is unclaimed residue it shall first be used to satisfy Defendant's obligations to pay 25 payroll taxes on the Settlement Awards. The Net Settlement Fund will be distributed as follows: 26 27 28 16. Each Settlement Class Member will be eligible to receive a Settlement Award pursuant to the following formula: Based on data provided by Defendant, the Settlement 5 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 Administrator shall initially calculate the number of weeks (including each partial week as a full 2 week) of employment for each Plaintiff in a Class Position in the Class Period ("Work Weeks"). 3 Then, each Subclass One Member's Work Weeks shall be multiplied by 1.0 in recognition of a 4 release of FLSA claims to arrive at that Class Member's "Subclass One Weekly Employment 5 Credits." Each member of Subclass Two shall have his or her Work Weeks multiplied by 2.0 in 6 recognition of a release of California state law claims to arrive at that Class Member's "Subclass 7 Two Weekly Employment Credits." Each Member of Subclass Three shall have his or her Work 8 Weeks multiplied by 2.5 to arrive at that Class Member's "Subclass Three Weekly Employment 9 Credits." The Net Settlement Sum will then be divided by the total number of Weekly Employment 10 Credits (defined as the sum of the Subclass One, Subclass Two, and Subclass Three Weekly 11 Employment Credits) to obtain an amount per Weekly Employment Credit. This amount per 12 Weekly Employment will then be multiplied by the Weekly Employment Credits worked by each 13 respective Class Member to determine the Settlement Award available to each respective 14 Settlement Class Member. In the event that the entire Net Settlement Sum is not claimed by the 15 Settlement Class Members, any unclaimed Settlement Award funds shall be used first to pay any 16 corporate payroll tax obligations, and then the remainder of any such funds shall be distributed pro 17 rata to Settlement Class Members. 18 17. As per paragraph 64 of the Agreement, Apple and their counsel will not oppose an 19 attorneys’ fees award to Class Counsel of 25% of the Settlement Fund or $247,500 (Two Hundred 20 Forty-Seven Thousand and Five Hundred Dollars) as a Fee and Costs Payment to compensate Class 21 Counsel for all of the work already performed in this case and all of the work remaining to be 22 performed in documenting the Settlement, securing Court approval of the Settlement, making sure 23 that the Settlement is fairly administered and implemented and obtaining dismissal of the actions. 24 The amounts paid in fees and costs shall constitute full satisfaction of any obligation to pay for 25 attorneys’ fees, expenses or costs past, present and future incurred in the Action. 26 27 28 18. As per paragraph 67 of the Agreement, Class Counsel will request that Class Representatives Walsh and Kalua each receive an class representative service award of $10,000 6 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 (Ten Thousand Dollars) as Named Plaintiff Awards for their service as a Class Representative. 2 These awards will be paid in addition to their individual claims for a share to which they are 3 otherwise entitled through the claims process. Apple will not oppose this request. 4 19. As per paragraph 71 of the Agreement, a PAGA Payment in the amount of $49,500 5 (Forty-Nine Thousand and Five Hundred Dollars) shall be allocated from the Settlement Fund to 6 pay all applicable penalties under the California Labor Code's Private Attorney General Act of 7 2004, as amended, California Labor Code sections 2699 et. seq. The PAGA Payment shall be paid 8 to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency within 30 days after the Effective 9 Date. 10 20. As per paragraphs 2 and 52 of the Agreement, the reasonable costs of the Settlement 11 Administrator associated with the administration of this Settlement will be paid from the Settlement 12 Fund. The Parties currently project the Administration Payment to be no more than $10,000 (Ten 13 Thousand Dollars). The Settlement Administrator will be Gilardi & Company LLC. 14 15 Risks of Continued Litigation 16 21. Plaintiffs and Class Counsel recognize the expense and length of continuing to 17 litigate and trying this Action against Apple through possible appeals which could take several 18 years. Class Counsel has also taken into account the uncertain outcome and risk of litigation, 19 especially in complex actions such as this Action. Class Counsel is also mindful of and recognize 20 the inherent problems of proof under, and alleged defenses to, the claims asserted in the Action. 21 Based upon their evaluation, Plaintiffs and Class Counsel has determined that the settlement set 22 forth in the Agreement is in the best interest of the Class Members. 23 24 25 22. Here the litigation has been hard-fought with aggressive and capable advocacy on both sides. Clearly the goal of this litigation, to seek redress for the Class, has been met. 23. Here, a number of defenses asserted by Apple present serious threats to the claims of 26 27 28 Plaintiffs and the other Class Members. For example Apple contended that many Class Members 7 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 were barred from recovery by the “administrative exemption” set forth in 29 C.F.R. Section 2 541.402, which provides: 3 4 5 6 7 8 Computer employees within the scope of [the computer professional exemption] may also have . . . administrative duties which qualify the employees for exemption under [the administrative exemption]. For example, systems analysts and computer programmers generally meet the duties requirement for the administrative exemption if their primary duty includes work such as planning, scheduling, and coordinating activities required to develop systems to solve complex business, scientific or engineering problems of the employer or the employer’s customers. Apple also relied on 29 C.F.R. § 541.201(a)(b) which provides: 11 Work “directly related to management or general business operations” includes, but is not limited to, work in functional areas such as tax; finance; accounting; budgeting; auditing; insurance; quality control; purchasing procurement; advertising; marketing; research; safety and health; personnel management; human resources; employee benefits; labor relations; public relations; government relations; computer network, internet and database administration; legal and regulatory compliance; and similar activities. 12 These new federal regulations specifically identify work as a project manager as an example of that 13 which qualifies for the administrative exemption. 29 C.F.R. Section 541.203 (c) states: “An 14 employee who leads a team of other employees assigned to complete major projects for the 15 employer . .. generally meets the duties requirements for the administrative exemption, even if the 16 employee does not have direct supervisory responsibility over the other employees on the team.” 9 10 17 24. In Bagwell v. Florida Broadband, 2005 WL 1962562, (S.D. Fla. 2005), the district 18 court found that a network operation engineer was exempt under both the administrative and the 19 computer professional exemptions to the FLSA. The court found that the administrative exemption 20 applied where plaintiff’s primary duty was developing, improving, and making Florida Broadband’s 21 network system function reliably. Although the plaintiff performed some physical work, the court 22 found that the plaintiff’s primary duty was not manual because the predominance of plaintiff’s 23 duties were problem-solving, office and administrative duties. Id. at 1323-24. In Koppinger v. 24 American Interiors, Inc., 295 F. Supp. 2d 797 (N.D. Ohio 2003), the court granted summary 25 judgment for the employer, finding that the plaintiff who was responsible for maintaining the 26 27 28 8 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 company’s computer system qualified for the administrative exemption. Id. at 799.1 25. Similarly here, Apple would have certainly argued that the Class Members were 2 properly classified as exempt because many similarly skilled technical workers have been found to 3 be properly classified as exempt administrators. While other cases have found that such employees 4 are misclassified as exempt, liability in this action would have been hotly disputed and was by no 5 means a foregone conclusion. 6 26. There was also a significant risk that, if the Actions were not settled, Plaintiffs would 7 be unable to obtain class certification and thereby not recover on behalf of any Apple employees 8 other than themselves. In Dunbar v. Albertson's, Inc., 141 Cal. App. 4th 1422, 1431-32 (2006), the 9 California Court of Appeal recently affirmed an order denying class certification to a class of 10 employees who claimed that they were denied overtime pay because whether the executive 11 exemption applied would have had to have been individually determined for each class member 12 which meant that common issues did not predominate. Similarly, here Apple would have certainly 13 argued in opposing class certification that individual issues predominated because the applicability 14 of the administrative exemption would have to be separately determined for each Class Member 15 based on their individual experience. While other cases have approved class certification in 16 overtime wage claims, class certification in this action would have been hotly disputed and was by 17 no means a foregone conclusion. 18 27. Class Counsel has conducted a thorough investigation into the facts of the class 19 action. Class Counsel began investigating the Class Members’ claims before this action was filed. 20 Class Counsel also obtained production of extensive business and payroll records produced through 21 both formal and informal discovery. Class Counsel engaged in an extensive review and analysis of 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1 See also Heffelfinger v. Elec. Data Sys. Corp., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46461 (C.D. Cal. June 6, 2008) (holding that classes of information technology workers were exempt under the administrative exemption); Hickman v. United States, 10 Cl. Ct. 550, 561 (1986)(holding that electronics technician and computer equipment analyst were exempt under the administrative exemption); Shillinglaw v. System Works, Inc., 1993 WL 603289 (N.D. Ga. 1993)(holding that computer programmer/analyst was an exempt administrative employee); Raper v. State of Iowa, 688 N.W.2d 29, 43 (Iowa 2004). 9 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 the relevant documents and data with the assistance of experts. Class Counsel also received contact 2 information for the Class and interviewed potential Class Members. Accordingly, the agreement to 3 settle did not occur until Class Counsel possessed sufficient information to make an informed 4 judgment regarding the likelihood of success on the merits and the results that could be obtained 5 through further litigation. 6 28. Based on the foregoing data and their own independent investigation and evaluation, 7 Class Counsel is of the opinion that the settlement with Apple for the consideration and on the 8 terms set forth in the Agreement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and is in the best interest of the 9 class in light of all known facts and circumstances, including the risk of significant delay, defenses 10 asserted by Apple, and numerous potential appellate issues. Apple and Apple’s counsel also agree 11 that the Agreement is fair and in the best interest of the Class Members. There can be no doubt that 12 Counsel for both parties possessed sufficient information to make an informed judgment regarding 13 the likelihood of success on the merits and the results that could be obtained through further 14 litigation. 15 29. There is no need for continued litigation simply to reaffirm what is already known 16 by the negotiating parties. The extensive due diligence performed by Class Counsel has not created 17 any doubt concerning the accuracy of the information supplied by Apple. Given the complexities 18 of this case, potential offsets, along with the uncertainties of proof and appeal, the proposed 19 settlement in Plaintiffs’ view is well within the range of possible approval and has no obvious 20 deficiencies. 21 Class Certification 22 30. The proposed settlements meet all of the requirements for class certification under 23 F.R.C.P. §23(b)(2) as demonstrated below, and therefore, the Court may appropriately approve the 24 Settlement Class as defined in the Agreement. This Court should conditionally certify a settlement 25 class for settlement purposes only that consists of all of Defendant's current and former employees 26 in the IS&T and/or Global Computing Network Services ("GNCS") division in the United States 27 who were classified as exempt holding the job titles of Network Engineer (levels 1 through 3), 28 10 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 Telecommunication Engineer (levels 1 through 3), Information Systems Engineer (levels 1 through 2 3), Systems Engineer (levels 1 through 3), Information Systems Analyst (levels 1 through 3), 3 Tech/Info Systems Analyst (levels 1 through 3), or substantially similar job titles at levels 1, 2 and 3 4 who worked at any time from August 4, 2004 through the date of preliminary Court approval of this 5 Settlement. All other employees in all other job titles and job levels within the class definition in 6 the Third Amended Complaint shall be dismissed from the Action without prejudice. 7 8 9 a. Numerosity - Here, the Settlement Class is composed of over 100 current and former employees, which is sufficiently numerous. b. Commonality - Here, common questions of law and fact, as alleged by the 10 Plaintiffs, are present, specifically the question of whether the GNCS and IS&T Support Staff 11 employees employed by Apple are “exempt.” 12 c. Typicality - The Plaintiffs, like every other member of the Class, were 13 employed by Apple and classified as “exempt” by Apple. The Plaintiffs performed the same type of 14 computer installation and maintenance work as the members of the Class. The Plaintiffs, like every 15 other member of the Class, claim unpaid overtime wages for work performed in the same job 16 classifications. Thus, the claims of both the Plaintiffs and the Members of the Class arise from the 17 same course of conduct by the Apple, involve the same work performed in connection with the 18 Apple computer systems, and are based on the same legal theories. 19 d. Adequacy - Plaintiffs are well aware of their duties as representatives of the 20 class and have actively participated in the prosecution of this case to date. They effectively 21 communicated with counsel, providing documents to counsel and participated extensively in 22 discovery and investigation of the Action. Plaintiff Walsh appeared for deposition and testified 23 thoroughly about his claims. 24 e. Predominance - Here, the adjudication of the common issues surrounding 25 Apple’s alleged uniform and systematic acts could establish Apple’s liability on a class-wide basis. 26 Plaintiffs contend that Apple had engaged in a uniform course of conduct with respect to the 27 Settlement Class; the only question is whether Apple’s conduct supports a meritorious claim. Such 28 11 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 suits challenging the legality of a standardized course of conduct are generally appropriate for 2 resolution by means of a class action. 3 31. Class Counsel is experienced in prosecuting class action lawsuits and can 4 competently represent the Class. For example, other lawyers at my firm and I have extensive class 5 litigation experience. We have handled a number of class actions and complex commercial cases 6 and have acted both as counsel and as lead and co-lead counsel in a variety of these matters. We 7 have successfully prosecuted and obtained significant recoveries in numerous class action lawsuits 8 and other lawsuits involving complex issues of law and fact. Class Counsel has been involved as 9 class counsel in over two hundred (200) class action matters. A true and correct copy of the resume 10 11 12 of my firm is attached hereto as Exhibit 2. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 21st day of January, 2010, at La Jolla, California. 13 14 By: s/Norman B. Blumenthal NORMAN B. BLUMENTHAL 15 16 K:\D\NBB\Walsh v. Apple\Preliminary Approval\Decl NBB-01.wpd 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 12 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 EXHIBIT #1 26 27 28 13 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 EXHIBIT #2 26 27 28 14 NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS SETTLEMENT Case No.: 05:08-cv-04918 JF Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik (AV) 2255 Calle Clara, La Jolla, California 92037 Tel: (858) 551-1223 Fax: (885) 551-1232 www.bamlawca.com FIRM RESUME Areas of Practice: Consumer and Securities Class Action, Wage and Hour Class Action, Civil Litigation, Transactional Law, Business Litigation, and Products Liability. ATTORNEY BIOGRAPHIES Norman B. Blumenthal Partner Practice Areas: Consumer and Securities Class Action, Civil Litigation, Transactional Law Admitted: 1973, Illinois; 1976, California Biography: Law Clerk to Justice Thomas J. Moran, Illinois Supreme Court, 1973-1975. Instructor, Oil and Gas Law: California Western School of Law, 1981; University of San Diego School of Law, 1983. President and Chairman of the Board, San Diego Petroleum Club Inc., 1985-1986. Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Brumark Corporation, 1980-1987. Member: San Diego County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California. Educated: University of Wisconsin (B.A., 1970); Loyola University of Chicago (J.D., 1973) Born: Washington, D.C., January 31, 1948 Kyle R. Nordrehaug Partner Practice Areas: Consumer and Securities Class Actions, Civil Litigation Admitted: 1999, California Member: State Bar of California Educated: University of California at Berkeley (B.A., 1994); University of San Diego School of Law (J.D. 1999) Born: San Diego, California, October 21, 1972 Aparajit Bhowmik Partner Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Consumer Class Actions Admitted: 2006, California Educated: University of California at San Diego (B.A., 2002); University of San Diego School of Law (J.D. 2006) Scott Macrae Contract Attorney Practice Areas: Consumer and Securities Class Action Admitted: 1982, California Educated: Bowdoin College (B.A., 1978); University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D., 1982) Born: Summit, New Jersey, November 26, 1956 REPORTED CASES In re Tobacco Cases II, 41 Cal. 4th 1257 (2007); Washington Mutual Bank v. Superior Court, 24 Cal. 4th 906 (2001); Hall v. County of Los Angeles, 148 Cal. App. 4th 318 (2007); Coshow v. City of Escondido, 132 Cal. App. 4th 687 (2005); Daniels v. Philip Morris, 18 F.Supp 2d 1110 (S.D. Cal.1998); McPhail v. First Command Fin. Planning, Inc., 247 F.R.D. 598 (S.D. Cal. 2007); McPhail v. First Command Fin. Planning, Inc., 251 F.R.D. 514 (S.D. Cal. 2009); Gibson v. World Savings & Loan Asso., 103 Cal. App. 4th 1291 (2003); Jordan v. Department of Motor Vehicles, 75 Cal. App. 4th 445 (1999); Jordan v. Department of Motor Vehicles, 100 Cal.App. 4th 431 (2002); Teyssier v. City of San Diego, 81 Cal. App. 4th 685 (2000); Norwest Mortgage, Inc. v. Superior Court, 72 Cal.App.4th 214 (1999); Hildago v. Diversified Transp. Sya, 1998 U.S. App. LEXIS 3207 (9th Cir. 1998); Kensington Capital Mgal. v. Oakley, Inc., 1999 U.S. Dist LEXIS 385; Fed.Sec.L.Rep. (CCH) P90, 411 (1999 C.D. Cal.); Olszewski v. Scripps Health, 30 Cal. 4th 798 (2003); Taiheiyo Cement Corp. v. Superior Court, 105 Cal.App. 4th 398 (2003); McMeans v. Scripps Health, Inc., 100 Cal. App. 4th 507 (2002); Ramos v. Countrywide Home Loans, 82 Cal.App. 4th 615 (2002); Tevssier v. City of San Diego, 81 Cal.App. 4th 685; Rocker v. KPMG LLP, 148 P.3d 703; 2006 Nev. Lexis 137; 122 Nev. Adv. Rep. 101(2006); Silvas v. E*Trade Mortg. Corp., 514 F.3d 1001 (9th Cir. 2008); Silvas v. E*Trade Mortg. Corp., 421 F. Supp. 2d 1315 (S.D. Cal. 2006); PCO, Inc. v. Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro, 150 Cal. App. 4th 384 (2007); Puentes v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc., 160 Cal. App. 4th 638 (2008); Rezec v. Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc., 116 Cal. App. 4th 135 (2004). LEAD COUNSEL - CLASS ACTION Adkins v. Washington Mutual Bank - Settled Orange County Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Bank Interest Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Agah v. CompUSA - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District of California Case No. SA CV05-1087 DOC (Anx) Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Unfair Rebate Program Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Allec v. Cross Country Bank - Settled Orange County Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Arreguin v. Impact Solutions - “In Litigation’ Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC 340107 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Barcia v. Contain-A-Way - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California Case No. 07 cv 0938 Nature of Case: ERISA and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Behar v. Union Bank - In Litigation Orange County Superior Court, case No. 30-2009-00317275 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, United Employees Law Group Bermant v. Bank of America, Investment Services, Inc. - Settled Los Angeles Superior Court, Civil Action No. BC342505 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Arias, Ozzello & Gignac, L.L.P. & United Employees Law Group Bolger v. Dr. Martens - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Bova v. Washington Mutual Bank / JP Morgan Chase - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California Case No. 07 cv 2410 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Briseno v. American Savings Bank - Settled Orange County Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Chavez & Gertler Buonomo v. ValueVision - Settled Minnesota District Court Nature of Case: False Advertising, Breach of Warranty Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, P.A. Butler v. Oberman, Tivoli, Miller and Pickert, Inc. - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC 339051 Nature of Case: Labor Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Cabral v. Creative Communication Tech. - In Litigation Los Angeles Superior Court Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Citizens for Fair Treatment v. Quest Communications - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Failure to Pay for Vacation Time Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Cohen v. Bosch Tool - Settled San Diego Superior Court, Case No. GIC 853562 Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Collins v. Galpin Motors - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC 343915 Nature of Case: Overtime Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Comstock v. Washington Mutual Bank - Settled San Diego County Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Force Order Insurance Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Conley v. Norwest - Settled San Diego County Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Connell v. Sun Microsystems - Settled Alameda Superior Court, Case No. RG06252310 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & United Employees Law & Group Chavez & Gertler, LLP Curry v. California Testing Bureau/McGraw Hill - Dismissal Affirmed on Appeal United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Jose Civil Action No. C-05-4003 JW Nature of Case: ERISA Claim Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Chavez & Gertler Danford v. Movo Media - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Unlawful Violation of Unruh Civil Rights Act Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Daniels, et al. v. Philip Morris, et al. – California Supreme Court San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Unlawful, Deceptive and Unfair Marketing of Cigarettes to Children Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Dewane v. Prudential - Settled U.S. District Court, Central District of California Case NO. SA CV 05-1031 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Wynne Law Firm & Thierman Law Firm P.C. Downtown Inns v. Pac Bell - Settled California Public Utilities Commission Nature of Case: Illegal Charge Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Sullivan Hill. Fallah v. Cingular Wireless - Settled Orange County Superior Court / U.S. District Court, Central District of Calfiornia Case No. Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Unfair Rebate Program Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Fierro v. Chase Manhattan - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Bank Interest Overcharges Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Friend v. Wellpoint - Settled Los Angeles Superior Court, Case NO. BC345147 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Gabisan v. Pelican Products - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California Case No. 08 cv 1361 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Getchius v. National Private Security - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC 338907 Nature of Case: Overtime Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Gibson v. World Savings - Judgment for Class after Appeal - Settled Orange County Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Gill v. Parabody, Inc. - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Product Defect Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Greer v. Fleet Mortgage - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Bank Overcharges Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Guzman v. GNC, Inc. - “In Litigation” U.S. District Court, Central District of California Case No. CV 06-2326 MMM FMOx Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Illegal Product Sales Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. Guzman v. Muscletech. - “In Litigation” U.S. District Court, Central District of California Case No. Case No. CV06-2377 CAS JTLx Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Illegal Product Sales Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Thanasides, Zalkin & Acero & Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. Hahn v. Circuit City – Settled San Diego Superior Court; U.S. District Court, Southern District of California Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices, Failure to Pay Vacation Time Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Hall v. County of Los Angeles - On Appeal Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC208582 Nature of Case: Gender Discrimination Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & The Lewis Law Firm Handler v. Oppenheimer - On Appeal Los Angeles Superior Court, Civil Action No. BC343542 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Perona, Langer, Beck, Lallande and Serbin Higgins v. Maryland Casualty - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Deceptive Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Hoffman v. National Warranty Insurance - Settled District Court for the State of Nevada Nature of Case: Auto Warranty Fraud Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Greco, Traficante & Edwards; Gerard, Osuch & Cisneros, LLP Hollander v. Vitamin Shoppe Industries - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court Case No.L.A.S.C. Case No. BC311446 Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Illegal Product Sales Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Thanasides, Zalkin & Acero & Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. Jones v. E*Trade Mortgage - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California Case No. 02-CV-1123 L (JAH) Nature of Case: TILA Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Robert C. Fellmeth, Esq. Kennedy v. Natural Balance - On Appeal U.S. District Court, Southern District California Nature of Case: Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Keshishzadeh v. Arthur J. Gallagher Service Co. - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 09-cv-0168 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations on behalf of Claims Representatives Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group King v. Nordstrom - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Failure to Pay for Vacation Time Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Kove v. North American Title Company - In Litigation Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. BC426111 Nature of Case: Unpaid Commissions Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group Kove v. Old Republic Title Company - In Litigation Alameda County Superior Court, Case No. RG09477437 Nature of Case: Unpaid Commissions Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group Levine v. Groeniger - In Litigation Alameda County Superior Court, Case No. RG09476193 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group Linder v. OCWEN - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Central District California Case No. 07cv501 Nature of Case: Lender Placed Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Nicholas & Butler Lopez v. K-Mart - “In Litigation” Ventura County Superior Court, Case No. BC 351983 Nature of Case: Overtime - Unfair Business Practice Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Arias, Ozzello, & Gignac, LLP & United Employees Law Group Louie / Stringer v. Kaiser - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08 cv 0795 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Mann v. NEC - Settled Santa Clara Superior Court, Case No. 109cv132089 Nature of Case: Missed Meal and Rest Periods Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, Qualls & Workman, United Employees Law Group Mann v. Vital Pharmaceuticals - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. L.A.S.C. Case No. : BC 310790 Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Illegal Product Sales Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. Mandell v. Republic Bank - Settled Los Angeles County Superior Court Nature of Case: Breach of Fiduciary Duties to IRA Account Holders Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Manzanarez v. Home Savings of America - Settled San Francisco Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Overcharge for Inspection Fees Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Marchese v. Ty, Inc. - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Martinez v. Yahoo, Inc. - Settled Nature of Case: Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Matloubian v. Home Savings of America - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Chavez & Gertler McMeans v. ScrippsHealth, - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition, Lien Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug McPhail v. First Command - Settled United States District Court for the Southern District of California Case No.05CV0179 IEG (JMA) Nature of Case: Securities Fraud, 10(b)(5) violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug appointed Lead Counsel, Greco & Traficante & Whatley Drake LLC & Gray & White,& Brewer & Carlson, LLP & Franklin & Hance, PSC Meco v. International Medical Research (and related cases) - Judgment for Class After Trial Los Angeles Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition, Product Adulteration, Illegal Sale of Drugs Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Nakagawa v. LPJ Pharmaceuticals - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. FRESNO S.C. Case No. : 04CECG 00453 Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Illegal Product Sales Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. Navarette v. Edwards Theaters/Century - “In Litigation” Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 05CC00211 Nature of Case: Overtime Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Nelson v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance - Settled Brazoria County District Court, Texas Nature of Case: Deceptive Business Practices in sale of oil & gas reserve insurance Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Nguyen v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - “In Litigation” Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 05 CC 00116 Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices - Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Olszewski v. ScrippsHealth - Judgment for Plaintiff California Supreme Court Decision in Favor of Plaintiff San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Competition, Lien Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Pacheco v. Lexicon Marketing - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC 342265 Nature of Case: Overtime Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Patelski v. The Boeing Company – Settled United States District Court, Southern District of New York; transferred to United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri Nature of Case: Refund Action Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Sigman, Lewis & Feinberg, P.C. Pearlman v. Bank of America - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Chavez & Gertler Picus v. Wal-Mart Stores - In Litigation U.S. District Court, District of Nevada Case No. 2:07-CV-00682 Nature of Case: Deceptive Advertising Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Gerard & Associates Pittard v. Salus Homecare - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08 cv 1398 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Prince v. ClientLogic - In Litigation Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, Nevada No Case No. A517624 Nature of Case: Overtime Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Gerard & Osuch, LLP Puentes v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - Decision on Appeal San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices - Bank Interest Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Ralphs v. Blockbuster, Inc. – Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unlawful Late Fees Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Morris and Associates, Pettersen and Bark Ramos v. Countrywide - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Sullivan Hill; Chavez & Gertler Rangel v. Balboa Ambulance - In Litigation San Diego Superior Court, Case No. 37-2008-00095700 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; Petersen & Bark Redin v. Sterling Trust - Settled Los Angeles Superior Court Nature of Case: Breach of Fiduciary Duties of IRA Administrator Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Reynolds v. Marlboro/Philip Morris U.S.A. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit U.S. District Court, Southern District of California Civil Action No. 05 CV 1876 JAH Nature of Case: Unfair Competition Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Rezec v. Sony – Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Fraudulent Advertising Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Prongay & Borderud; The Cifarelli Law Firm Rix v. Lockheed - In Litigation United States District Court, Southern District of California, Case No. 3:09-cv-02063 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group Rocheford v. SC&E Administrative Service - Settled Orange County Superior Court Nature of Case: Auto Warranty Fraud Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Greco, Traficante & Edwards; Gerard, Osuch & Cisneros, LLP Santone v. AT&T – Settled United States District Court, Southern District of Alabama Nature of Case: Unconscionable Business Practices Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Morris & Associates Santos v. Sleep Train - In Litigation Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2008-00214586 San Francisco Superior Court, JCCP-4553 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Scott v. Blockbuster, Inc. – Settled Count of Appeals, Ninth District of Texas, Beaumont, Texas Nature of Case: Unlawful Late Fees Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Brothers & Thomas, LLP, Vaughan O. Stewart Schulz v. Qualxserv - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 09-cv-0017 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group Shiell v. County of Los Angeles - On Appeal Los Angeles Superior Court Case Number BC208583; [Related to]: BC208582 Nature of Case: Claim for Common Law Employment Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & The Lewis Law Firm Silvas v. E*Trade - Dismissal Affirmed on Appeal U.S. District Court, Southern District CASE NO. 05cv02348 - W (NLS) Nature of Case: TILA Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Robert Fellmeth & The Law Offices of Daniel Harris & The Nygaard Law Firm Sims v. Philip Morris, Inc. – United States District Court, For the District of Columbia Nature of Case: Unlawful Marketing of Cigarettes to Children Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Thorsnes, Bartolotta & McGuire; Chavez & Gertler, Thomas E. Sharkey and Fleishman & Fisher Sirota v. Swing-N-Slide - Settled Wisconsin District Court, County of Rock Wisconsin Case No. 95CV726J Nature of Case: Fraudulent Stock Buy Back-Derivative Claim Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Sullivan Hill; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach; Nowlan & Mouat Smith v. Kaiser - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08-cv-02353 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik; United Employees Law Group Sorensen v. Binions, - “In Litigation” Nature of Case: ERISA violation Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Gerard & Osuch Steroid Hormone Product Cases - On Appeal Los Angeles Superior Court, JCCP4363 Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Sale of Illegal Products Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug & Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. Stevens v. Robinsons-May - Settled San Diego Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Failure to Pay for Vacation Time Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Strauss v. Bayer Corporation – Settled United States District Court, District of Minnesota Nature of Case: Baycol Products Liaibility Litigation Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Fleishman & Fisher Sussex v. Turnberry/MGM Grand Towers - In Litigation U.S. District Court, District of Nevada Case No. 08-cv-00773 Nature of Case: Securities Violations, Fraud Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Gerard & Associates Sustersic v. International Paper - In Litigation Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2009-00331538 Nature of Case: Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik Tan v. CSAA - Settled U.S. District Court, Central District California, Case No. 07cv1011 Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2008-00231219 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Tauber v. Alaska Airlines, et al. - Settled Los Angeles Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practice - Employment Practices Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Trujillo v. LivHome - In Litigation Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2008-00100372 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Tull v. Stewart Title - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08-CV-1095 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Van Gorp v. Ameriquest Mortgage/Deutsche Bank - “In Litigation” U.S. District Court, Central District of California Case No. SACV05-907 CJC (ANx) Nature of Case: Overtime Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Wadhwa v. Escrow Plus - Settled Los Angeles Superior Court Nature of Case: Investment Fraud Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Walsh v. Apple, Inc. - Settled U.S. District Court, Northern District California, Case No. 08-cv-04918 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, United Employees Law Group Weltman v. Ortho Mattress - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08 cv 0840 Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2009-00327802 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, United Employees Law Group Wietzke v. Costar Realty - In Litigation U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Case No. 09-cv-2743 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik Williams v. Lockheed - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 3:09-cv-01669 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, United Employees Law Group Wilson v. D.R. Horton, - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08-0592 Nature of Case: Antitrust Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug, Gerard & Associates Wise v. Cubic - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 08-cv-2315 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, United Employees Law Group Yam v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals - In Litigation U.S. District Court, Southern District California, Case No. 10-cv-134 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, United Employees Law Group Yao v. Bodyonics, Ltd. - “In Litigation” Los Angeles Superior Court, JCCP No. 4363 Nature of Case: Unfair Competition - Illegal Product Sales Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal and Nordrehaug Zugich v. Wells Fargo Bank - Settled San Francisco Superior Court Nature of Case: Unfair Business Practices-Force Ordered Insurance Overcharges Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Zurlo v. Mission Linen - Settled U.S. District Court, Central District, Case No. 08cv1326 Nature of Case: Overtime and Labor Code Violations Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug CO-COUNSEL - Class Actions Baxt v. Scor U.S. - Settled Delaware Court of Chancery Nature of Case: Takeover Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Sullivan Hill; Rosenthal, Monhait, Gross & Goddess, P.A. Bronson v. Blech Securities - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York Nature of Case: Securities Fraud Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg; Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach; Kaplan, Kilsheimer & Fox; Berstein, Liebhard & Lifshitz; Berstein & Ostraff; Law Office of Dennis J. Johnson; John T. Maher; Sullivan Hill; Weil, Gotshal & Manges; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker; Andrews & Kurth; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Wolff & Samson; Heller, Horowitz & Feit, P.C.; Shereff, Friedman, Hoffman & Goodman, LLP; Debevoise & Plimpton; Smith, Campbell, Paduano; Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges; The Offices of Robert Swetnick; Crummy Del Deo; Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn & Berman; Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C.; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Schwartz, Kelm, Warren & Ramirez; Porter & Hedges, L.L.P.; MicroProbe Corp.; NeoRX Corp.; Solomon, Zauderer, Ellenhorn, Frischer & Sharp; Caushon v. General Motors Corp. - “In Coordinated Litigation” In re Automobile Antitrust Cases San Diego Superior Court, coordinated in San Francisco Nature of Case: Unfair Competition; Antitrust Plaintiff's Co-Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Dibella v. Olympic Financial - Settled U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota Nature of Case: Securities Fraud Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Ferrari v. Read-Rite - Settled U. S. District Court, Northern District of California Nature of Case: Securities Fraud Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach Hart v. United States Tobacco Co. - Settled Los Angeles Superior Court Coordinated in Smokeless Tobacco Litigation Nature of Case: Unfair Competition; Antitrust Plaintiff’s Co-Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; the Cuneo Law Group P.C.; Gordon Ball Kensington Capital v. Oakley - Settled U. S. District Court, Southern District of California Nature of Case: Securities Fraud Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach Kensington Capital v. Vesta - Settled U. S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama Nature of Case: Securities Fraud Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach Manaster v. SureBeam - Settled United States District Court Nature of Case: Violation of Securities Act Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach Jordan/Ramos v. DMV - Judgment for Plaintiff Superior Court, Sacramento Nature of Case: Commerce Clause Violation - Tax declared unconstitutional Affirmed on appeal Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach; Weiss & Yourman; Sullivan Hill. Ridgewood Capital Management v. Gensia - Settled U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, #CV-92-1500H Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Barrack, Rodos & Bacine; Kaplan, Kilsheimer & Fox; Wolf, Popper, Ross, Wolf & Jones; Law Offices of Joseph H. Weiss; Kaufman, Malchman, Kaufman & Kirby; Sullivan Hill; Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Shurman v. Scimed - Settled State of Minnesota District Court, Fourth District, #94-17640 Plaintiffs’ Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach; Kaplan, Kilsheimer & Fox; Sullivan Hill; Law Offices of Lawrence G. Soicher. Sirota v. Swing-N-Slide - Settled Wisconsin District Court, County of Rock Wisconsin Nature of Case: Fraudulent Stock Buy-Back-Derivative Claim Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Sullivan Hill; Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach; Nowlan & Mouat Slatton v. G.E. Capital Mortgage Services - Settled Camden County Superior Court, New Jersey, #CAML0256198 Nature of Case: Forced order insurance Plaintiff’s Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Somkin v. Molten Metal - Settled U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, #9710325PBS Nature of Case: Securities Fraud Plaintiff's Counsel: Blumenthal & Nordrehaug Sparks v AT&T - Settled Illinois District Court - Madison County Deceptive Practice claim - Leased consumer telephone equipment Plaintiff’s counsel - Carr Korein Tillery; Blumenthal & Nordrehaug; Whatley Drake

Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.


Why Is My Information Online?