SBC Telephone Concession LitigationIf you are a class member, please complete the questionnaire posted at right and mail to: Abigail Scott, Paralegal
Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll, PLLC
1100 New York Avenue, N.W.
Suite 500, West Tower
Washington, D.C. 20005 Please note: Phase I of this case went to trial in late November 2007 and we are currently awaiting a ruling from the Judge regarding the outcome of Phase I. Summary of Lawsuit: Cohen Milstein filed a complaint against SBC Telecommunications (and its predecessors) concerning the management of and the reduction of benefits by the SBC Telephone Concession Plan. This lawsuit alleges that SBC violated nearly every provision of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") governing defined benefit plans with respect to the SBC Telephone Concession Plan (the "Plan") by failing to treat the provision of the Telephone Concession to retirees as an ERISA covered employee benefit plan. This lawsuit seeks a determination that the Plan is a defined benefit pension plan covered by ERISA, seeks to reform the Plan so that it complies with ERISA and also seeks to restore telephone concession benefits to retirees and other employees of SBC (and its predecessors and/or affiliates) who were vested in the Plan pursuant to ERISA which SBC has attempted to eliminate or reduce. Class Certified: On October 3, 2006, the Court entered an order certifying this case as a Class Action. The class is defined as follows for claims against SBC: (1) Retirees of an SBC Company, receiving a Telephone Concession Benefit after they retired, anytime from January 1, 2002, to the present and who lived outside the SBC Service Area; (2) Current or former employees of any SBC Participating Company with more than five years of service with an SBC Participating Company as of June 1, 2005, who were eligible or might become eligible to receive an Out-of-Service Telephone Concession after they retired; (3) Members of the immediate family of any person in Group 1 or Group 2, including surviving spouses and the retiree dependents, during the time that SBC had a policy to provide employees of such SBC Participating Companies with a Telephone Concession after retirement. In addition, the Court certified a class consisting of all participants and beneficiaries of the Plan at any time from January 31, 2003, to October 1, 2005 for the Benefits Claims Pursuant to ERISA §502 (A)(1)(B) against the Plan. If you are a current, former or retired employee of SBC (or its predecessors and/or affiliates) who are receiving or did receive the telephone concession benefit, or you have information which might assist us in the prosecution of these allegations, please complete the questionnaire posted at right and/or contact one of the following persons: R. Joseph Barton, Esq. jbarton@cmht.com
Abigail Scott, Paralegal, ascott@cmht.com Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C.
1100 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20005
Telephone: 888-240-0775 or 202-408-4600 |
