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Judge Fails to Approve BAR/BRI Class Action Settlement
By Matt O’Donnell
Bad news for those who filed claims in the BAR/BRI class action lawsuit settlement we told you about in May; a federal judge did not approve the BAR/BRI settlement based, in part, to objections about Kaplan’s portion of the settlement — $150 BAR/BRI coupons, which objectors called “laughable.”
U.S. District Judge Manuel Real in Los Angeles preliminarily approved the BAR/BRI class action settlement on March 21. However, during the final settlement hearing on June 20, Real expressed concern about the coupons, which would provide discounts on future Kaplan courses. He also cited concern about the value of the BAR/BRI class action lawsuit settlement, which includes about $1.7 million in attorney fees.
The proposed BAR/BRI settlement would have resolved a class action lawsuit, titled Stetson, et al. v. West Publishing Corp., et al., that alleges BAR/BRI violated federal antitrust laws by conspiring to monopolize the market for bar review courses. Under the settlement, West Publishing, which owns BAR/BRI, would have paid $5.29 million in cash and Kaplan would have provided Class Members coupons worth $150 each toward the purchase of future course materials. Class Members stood to receive an average of $240, including $90 in cash from West.
In court papers, several objectors disputed the coupon portion of the deal, calling the BAR/BRI coupons “valueless,” “beyond the pale of reasonable fairness,” and “particularly laughable.”
The BAR/BRI class action settlement rejection does not necessarily spell the end for the settlement, however, as the appeals process begins. Class Members are urged keep checking the Settlement Administrator’s website for updates.
Updated June 28th, 2011
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