Moby
01-16-2009, 07:40 PM
I just got an email stating that I can be involved with a class action suit against Vonage. My service has been fantastic for years and I have no complaints so this isn't a complaint about them. It does show an issue with our legal system.
Vonage shall make available a Settlement Fund, up to, and capped at, $1,750,000.00. Each Class Member who submits a valid Claim Form as described below will be entitled to claim upon the Settlement Fund for an amount up to, but not exceeding, the paid value of two months’ fax service on an independent fax line, amounting to no more than $19.98 per fax line in operation for two months or longer. Only one Claim Form will be accepted for each Vonage fax line.
Any amounts in the Settlement Fund not claimed by Class Members who submit valid Claim Forms shall revert back to Vonage, EXCEPT THAT Vonage guarantees that the Settlement Fund will be funded at a minimum of $1,000,000.00, irrespective of the number of valid Claim Forms submitted.
Any portion of the $1,000,000.00 guaranteed amount that is not distributed to Class Members who submit a valid Claim Form, if any such monies exist, shall be deemed a cy pres fund, the proceeds of which shall be distributed to Legal Services of New Jersey, 100 Metroplex Drive, Suite 402, P.O. Box 1357, Edison, NJ 08818-1357, as unrestricted funds upon the Settlement Effective Date. Legal Services of New Jersey is an independent, non-profit organization that strives to ensure equal access to justice under law by providing free legal assistance to low-income people in civil matters.
What does all that mean? It means that Voanage has to pay at least $1,000,000. I can collect $19.98 if I choose to spend hours filling out paper work, which isn't cost effective for most people. So the law firm will end up with the bulk of the $1,000,000 and nothing will change.
This is a very small class action suit but it does show the enormous cost of business that such claims cause.
Vonage shall make available a Settlement Fund, up to, and capped at, $1,750,000.00. Each Class Member who submits a valid Claim Form as described below will be entitled to claim upon the Settlement Fund for an amount up to, but not exceeding, the paid value of two months’ fax service on an independent fax line, amounting to no more than $19.98 per fax line in operation for two months or longer. Only one Claim Form will be accepted for each Vonage fax line.
Any amounts in the Settlement Fund not claimed by Class Members who submit valid Claim Forms shall revert back to Vonage, EXCEPT THAT Vonage guarantees that the Settlement Fund will be funded at a minimum of $1,000,000.00, irrespective of the number of valid Claim Forms submitted.
Any portion of the $1,000,000.00 guaranteed amount that is not distributed to Class Members who submit a valid Claim Form, if any such monies exist, shall be deemed a cy pres fund, the proceeds of which shall be distributed to Legal Services of New Jersey, 100 Metroplex Drive, Suite 402, P.O. Box 1357, Edison, NJ 08818-1357, as unrestricted funds upon the Settlement Effective Date. Legal Services of New Jersey is an independent, non-profit organization that strives to ensure equal access to justice under law by providing free legal assistance to low-income people in civil matters.
What does all that mean? It means that Voanage has to pay at least $1,000,000. I can collect $19.98 if I choose to spend hours filling out paper work, which isn't cost effective for most people. So the law firm will end up with the bulk of the $1,000,000 and nothing will change.
This is a very small class action suit but it does show the enormous cost of business that such claims cause.