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(July 2,
2007)
Proudly representing retirees from the new
AT&T Midwest Region, SBC Midwest Region, Ameritech, as well as the
five Bell Companies in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and
Wisconsin
LAWSUIT UPDATES:
A couple of lawsuits concerning Ameritech Retirees are currently
active. Here is the current status of these suits:
One lawsuit includes Out-of-Service Area ("OOR/OOF") Ameritech
Retirees and seeks restoration of the cash payments or reimbursements
that existed prior to the implementation of the 600 minutes of Long
Distance. The current status of the lawsuit is we are the middle of
fact discovery and have been actively pursuing discovery. Fact
Discovery ends June 29, 2007; Expert discovery concludes approximately
around August 31, 2007. A trial is scheduled for November 26, 2007 in
San Antonio.
Fact discovery should be complete, with the exception of one
deposition, by June 29. We have agreed that we will submit a
settlement demand (i.e. a proposal) to Defendant by July 9 and that
they have agreed to respond to that demand within 30 days. Once we
receive their response, we will have a sense of whether they are
serious about settling this case. If they are, we will likely engage
a mediator to assist us in reaching a settlement. If we are unable to
reach a settlement, we will proceed to trial at the end of November.
In 2003, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a class of retirees
of then-subsidiaries of SBC Communications, Inc. who had been eligible
to retire under an early retirement window known as EPR. EPR retirees
who received the so-called enhanced grandfathered benefit under EPR
comprise the class. The lawsuit alleges that the SBC Pension Plan
for Nonbargained Employees improperly calculated retirees' benefits by
omitting a two week pay period in their calculation of Average Annual
Compensation. The lawsuit is currently in the discovery phase and
plaintiffs' counsel are preparing to take depositions of key Plan
officials and advisors who were employed by subsidiaries of SBC.
Disclaimer Notice: This is an update to the status of
two lawsuits pending against AT&T (formerly SBC) from the firm
handling the cases. It is intended solely as information to AASBCR
Members who may be affected. This information has been provided by
the firm representing the plaintiff in this case. AASBCR cannot
guarantee 100% accuracy of this information as AASBCR is not involved
legally nor does it intend to be involved legally in this case but
does believe that the data presented to be accurate. AASBCR does not
have legal standing to be a party to this case.
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