Ex-BAR/BRI Leader Unhappy with Deal
The National Law Journal reports, the former president of BAR/BRI who initiated a nationwide antitrust lawsuit against the publisher of a bar review course is joining three named plaintiffs in objecting to a recent settlement of the case. Stan Chess, now president of LawTV Inc., which operates Web sites such as www.LawSchool.com, is the fourth objector to a $49 million settlement filed with the courts on Feb. 2. Ryan Rodriguez v. West Publishing Corp., No. 05cv3222 (C.D. Calif.). The settlement resolves a class action against West Publishing, owner of BAR/BRI, and Kaplan Inc., which makes the preparatory coursework for the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT). The lawsuit claims the two companies conspired to monopolize the law exam market and overcharged law students by $1,000 each. Plaintiffs sought triple an estimated $300 million in damages on behalf of nearly 300,000 law students who took the course from 1997 to 2006. With the settlement, each class member is expected to receive about $125. A federal judge is expected to approve a final settlement on June 18. In court papers filed in March, Chess called the settlement grossly inadequate. "It doesn't accomplish anything," he said, noting that "the amount of money is not consequential to the defendant or the class members. There aren't that many attorneys who will fill out forms for $125." Chess is the latest to object to the settlement. Three named plaintiffs have criticized the monetary relief as too low and the injunctive relief as inadequate, since the original lawsuit sought to break up BAR/BRI
