PHOENIX, Feb. 10, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Budget-beleaguered Arizona state and local government entities are getting a little help this week as payments from the settlement in Daisy Mountain Fire District v. Microsoft Corp., No.07-2851 (D. Md.) begin to roll in. A total of $4,415,258 in cash has been distributed pursuant to the settlement agreement approved by the Court. Daisy Mountain Fire District, represented by antitrust experts at the law firms of Keller Rohrback L.L.P. (Seattle and Phoenix) and DeRoon & Seyfer, took the lead in bringing antitrust claims against Microsoft on behalf of a class consisting of all Arizona governmental entities that indirectly licensed Microsoft Operating System software and/or Microsoft Application software between May 18, 1994 and December 31, 2008 (the "Class").
The complaint alleged violations of the Arizona Antitrust Act and with the leadership of Class counsel, Daisy Mountain Fire District pursued Microsoft regarding its engagement in anticompetitive and monopolistic practices. The cash settlement benefits will be distributed among the Class for the purchase of new computer programs and equipment.
Oftentimes, antitrust violations go without remedy due to a lack of resources, time, money, or simply the diminutive nature of a single claim. Daisy Mountain Fire District's proactive involvement is a notable reminder of the importance of class actions in exercising legal rights to seek equitable relief.
"Unless someone or a group like Daisy Mountain Fire District steps forward, big companies can get away with quite a bit of questionable activity in the many types of law we practice, be it product liability, medical malpractice, ERISA, securities fraud, antitrust, etc.," said Mark Samson, one of the attorneys at Keller Rohrback who co-led the litigation. "Class action redress is a powerful tool." The federal courts recognize that it is this "threat of private action...that deters those firms inclined to test the limits of the law." United States v. Microsoft, 253 F.3d 34, 49 (D.C. Cir. 2001).
"Cutting corners and breaking laws to get an unfair advantage or putting out unsafe products happens over and over again. Sometimes the damage to any one person is not enough to make them want to go through trying to recover it. Those situations take a different type of person or group to come forward, or else everybody loses. The kind of people or groups that step forward are those who don't mind standing up and being counted; not just out of self-interest, but on behalf of all others in a similar situation," said Mark Griffin, another attorney at Keller Rohrback who co-led the litigation. "It is fitting that the fire district was willing to act on behalf of the Class, because putting the greater good of one's community first is a noble choice that firefighters make on a daily basis."
If you have additional questions regarding this settlement, please visit www.kellersettlements.com. You may also contact attorneys Mark Griffin at 800-776-6044 or Mark Samson at 602-248-0088 or via email at antitrust@kellerrohrback.com.
For over 90 years, Keller Rohrback has successfully represented business and consumer clients against America's top corporations. Its Complex Litigation Group offers expertise in a wide variety of areas including: antitrust, consumer protection, employment and benefits, excessive fees in the investment industry, product liability, securities fraud, and disputes involving widespread personal injury to clients nationwide.