/raid1/www/Hosts/bankrupt/CAR_Public/030123.mbx                C L A S S   A C T I O N   R E P O R T E R
  
               Thursday, January 23, 2003, Vol. 5, No. 16

                            Headlines                            

ARIZONA: Nogales City To Receive Extra $100,000 in Utilities Settlement
ATLAS SPECIALTY: Former Employees File Lawsuit Over Severance Packages
EMORY UNIVERSITY: Justice Dept Opposes Motion To Dismiss Access Suit
EXPERIAN: Agrees To Change Methods For Reporting Key Credit Information
CLEARONE COMMUNICATIONS: Trouble Ahead As SEC Files Fraud Complaint

FORD MOTOR: IL Judge Orders Release Of 15-Passenger Vans' Safety Data
ILLINOIS: Winnebago County Presents Resolutions To Resolve Inmate Suit
JP MORGAN: Labels Lawsuit "Without Merit," Denies Profiting From Slaves
OKLAHOMA: Private School Seeks Entry into State High School Association
PRIME INC.: OOIDA Launches Lawsuit Over Unlawful Compensation Practices

QT INC.: Consumer Sues Alleging Pain Relief Bracelets Only "Placebos"
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: April Arguments For Affirmative Action Suits Set
SECURITIES LITIGATION: Regulators Impose Limits On Securities Analysts
SECURITIES LITIGATION: Credit Suisse, Citigroup Expect More Fraud Suits
TEXAS: Abilene Residents Launch Suit Over Damage to Property by Floods

TOBACCO LITIGATION: Philip Morris, Others Sued Over "Light" Cigarettes
WAL-MART STORES: Employee Sue, Saying Store Required Work Off The Clock
WESTAR ENERGY: On-Looking Lawyers Say Securities Suit Not Broad Enough

                     New Securities Fraud Cases

AES CORPORATION: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Fraud Suit in E.D. VA
ALLEGHENY ENERGY: Marc Henzel Launches Securities Fraud Suit in S.D. NY
AMERADA HESS: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Fraud Suit in NJ Court
AMERICAN ELECTRIC: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Suit in S.D. Ohio
AMERICREDIT CORPORATION: Emerson Poynter Launches Securities Suit in TX

AON CORPORATION: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Fraud Suit in N.D. IL
ARIBA INC.: Milberg Weiss Commences Securities Fraud Lawsuit in N.D. CA
BIO-TECHNOLOGY GENERAL: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Lawsuit in NJ
CABLE & WIRELESS: Schatz & Nobel Launches Securities Lawsuit in E.D. VA
CLEARONE COMMUNICATIONS: Marc Henzel Files Securities Suit in UT Court

MOTOROLA INC.: Schatz & Nobel Launches Securities Fraud Suit in S.D. NY
VERITAS SOFTWARE: Milberg Weiss Commences Securities Suit in N.D. CA

                           *********

ARIZONA: Nogales City To Receive Extra $100,000 in Utilities Settlement
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The City of Nogales, Arizona will receive $100,000 as part of a $5
million settlement by Citizens Utilities Company of a class action,
which was settled last year, the Nogales International reports.  

The city already received $100,000 in the settlement and this money
went into the general fund.  However, the law firm of McNamara,
Goldsmith and Jackson, PC, which negotiated the lawsuit, went the city
one better.  The firm convinced the utility company that it should up
the ante for the city and a decision was reached to give the city an
additional $100,000 -- to be used for contributions to non-profit,
charitable organizations.  "It was a matter of McNamara, Goldsmith and
Johnson convincing them (the utility company) it should give the
(additional) money as a gesture of good faith," Nogales Finance
Director Bob Pattison told Nogales International.

The money is being held in a trust fund by the law firm.  The
additional money gives the city's fund for charitable contributions
considerable clout.  Mr. Pattison said the city generally has about
$85,000 in a fund for contributions to non-profit groups.  In addition
the city receives between $10,000 and $12,000 from the state lottery.
The lottery money, however, has a matching-fund condition attached,
Pattison told the Nogales International.

The $100,000 windfall has some limitations, he added.  The limitations
are concern what entities qualify for contributions from this source.  
Mr. Pattison added that the city attorney's office is working on means
to ease those limitations.  He said the city is setting up an oversight
committee to keep tabs on contributions.


ATLAS SPECIALTY: Former Employees File Lawsuit Over Severance Packages
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlas Specialty Steels, a division of Slater Stainless Corporation,
faces a statement of claim filed in the Ontario Superior Court of
Justice for damages and other relief arising from an alleged breach of
agreements with former Company employees to provide certain amounts
claimed under their severance deals.  The plaintiff in this action is
represented by Kirk Baert and Susan Philpott of the law firm of Koskie
Minsky.

The plaintiff is bringing this action under the Class Proceedings Act,
1992 on behalf of a class consisting of certain former members of the
Slater Stainless Corporation Pension Plan for Salaried Employees whose
employment was terminated between August 1, 2000 and September 17, 2001
and who were provided with severance packages as part of their
terminations.  The plaintiff alleges that these severance packages
included a promise to pay amounts described as a portion of the Plan
surplus on partial wind-up of the Plan.

The claim, which has yet to be proven in court, states that the
defendant has not paid all of the promised amounts owing under the
severance agreement, including the payment of surplus.  The plaintiff
alleges that this constitutes a breach of his contract with the
defendant.

"These employees not only had their employment terminated, but now
their expectations of some financial security for the future have
diminished," said Mr. Baert.

For more details, contact Kirk Baert by Phone: (416) 595-2117 or
contact Susan Philpott by Phone: (416) 595-2104


EMORY UNIVERSITY: Justice Dept Opposes Motion To Dismiss Access Suit
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The United States Department of Justice intervened in a class action
filed against Emory University, by filing a brief opposing the
University's motion to dismiss the suit filed by Law School student
Kami Barker, alleging the school's new Clairmont Campus apartments are
not handicapped-accessible, the Emory Wheel reports.

Ms. Barker, who uses a wheelchair, alleges that the University violates
several accessibility laws, including the Americans with Disabilities
Act, the Fair Housing Act and several Georgia statues.  In her suit,
Ms. Barker asserts that design flaws in her original Clairmont Campus
apartment rendered it almost completely inaccessible, and that the
University harassed her after raising complaints about her housing
situation.

Ms. Barker moved into a new apartment in early December, which she says
is more accessible but still has major problems.  Her lawsuit now
encompasses the entire Emory campus, and her legal team is working to
expand the suit into a class action, the Emory Wheel reports.  All the
defendants -- Emory, architect Niles Bolton Associates and contractor
TCR GA construction -- filed separate motions to dismiss the case.  In
their motions, the defendants claim that the ADA does not extend to
university housing such as the Clairmont Campus.

The department's Disabled Rights Division enforces the ADA and often
weighs in on accessibility lawsuits.  "Filing (the brief) means
essentially they're saying, 'We believe this falls under the statutes
of the ADA,'" Matthew Dietz, Ms. Barker's lead attorney told the Emory
Wheel. "But this doesn't mean they're in the case yet."

Mr. Dietz said that the Justice Department routinely files briefs in
ADA-based lawsuits, but usually does not take over because of the
volume of cases filed every year.


EXPERIAN: Agrees To Change Methods For Reporting Key Credit Information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the largest companies that tracks the bill-paying habits of
Americans has agreed to change how it reports key information,
according to attorneys and others familiar with the negotiations, The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The move by Experian would reduce interest rates that millions of
consumers pay on loans.  It also could save them money on insurance,
which is sometimes priced based on credit scores.  The proposal would
settle Experian's part of a class action that includes TransUnion and
Atlanta-based Equifax as defendants.  

The suit challenged the accuracy of credit reports involving
bankruptcies.  It charged that credit reports sold by the companies
carried bankruptcy notations for consumers who had not filed for
bankruptcy, but who had co-signed a loan or held a joint account with
someone who did.

Franklin Clark, the lead plaintiff, was unable to buy a car because of
the notation, even though it was his son-in-law, not he, who filed for
bankruptcy.  Experian agreed to remove the bankruptcy designation from
the credit records of about 1.6 million consumers, and not to use it
again, attorneys and others close to the negotiations said recently.

"This is good," said Richard Le Febvre, an expert witness for the
plaintiffs.  "It would be better if it had never happened.  Experian
has agreed to correct it, which is a good step."

Experian confirmed only that a settlement was submitted recently to
US District Judge Margaret Seymour in Columbia.  It could be accepted,
rejected or modified by the judge.  She did not specify when she will
rule.

Most class actions are settled rather than going to trial; that is
because of the possibility of large jury awards, said Paul Milich, a
law professor at Georgia State University.  The three companies named
in the South Carolina case said they each could face damages of up to
$1.6 billion if they lost.

However, under the settlement there is a process to compensate
consumers if a bankruptcy notation reappears by mistake:  Consumers
would have a choice of accepting $500 to make up for the mistake,
attempting to win a larger amount in mediation or filing a lawsuit in
federal court.


CLEARONE COMMUNICATIONS: Trouble Ahead As SEC Files Fraud Complaint
-------------------------------------------------------------------
One of Utah's more promising tech firms may have broken a lot of rules
to get where it is today, the Deseret News reports.  Formerly known as
Gentner Communications, Clear One Communications, Inc. makes
audiovisual conferencing equipment and provides audiovisual
conferencing services to business customers around the world.  The
company has received recognition on many lists from such magazines as
Forbes, Fortune and Individual Investor, and won an award from Frost &
Sullivan, its Market Engineering Competitive Strategy Award.

Yet, the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint
against the Company and two of its executive officers, alleging that
during an 18-month period the firm and two of its officers "engaged in
a program of inflating the company's revenues, net income and accounts
receivable by engaging in improper revenue recognition," among other
things.

The SEC alleges Clear One engaged in end-of-the-period activities known
as "channel-stuffing" in order to meet projected revenue goals.  The
SEC also alleges that in other instances, Clear One booked revenues for
products shipped to other parties, with the products being stored in
garages or warehouse.  According to the SEC, the alleged channel-
stuffing occurred between March 31, 2001, and September 30, 2002

Raising the level of concern with the SEC and investors in general is
the fact that ClearOne completed a $25.5 million private placement in
December 2001, during the period of the alleged activities.

Questions about other potential legal actions have begun swirling about
the company as the first shareholder class action was filed recently
against ClearOne and its executive officers for alleged violations of
US securities laws.


FORD MOTOR: IL Judge Orders Release Of 15-Passenger Vans' Safety Data
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A Chicago federal judge ordered Ford Motor Company to turn over safety
data on its 15-passenger vans in litigation over the deaths of two
passengers in one of the large vans when it flipped on a Kentucky
highway in 1996, the Associated Press reports.  The Company allegedly
concealed the evidence in the suit.

Federal Judge Robert Gettlemen ordered the Company to turn over safety
data on its 15-passenger vans - information the company has claimed
doesn't exist - and fined the automaker for concealing evidence, a
plaintiffs attorney told AP.  The ruling could have implications in
other cases against the automaker involving E350 vans, which have come
under government scrutiny because of numerous rollover accidents.

James Lowe of Cleveland, an attorney for some of the plaintiffs, said
Judge Gettlemen ordered Ford to pay all costs in the plaintiffs'
attempts to obtain the safety records.  The amount of that fine was not
specified, AP states.  More importantly, Mr. Lowe said, Judge Gettlemen
said he would inform the jury at trial that Ford's own records
apparently showed the 15-passenger vans were not reasonably safe or
stable.

"It's minimum justice as far as I'm concerned, but I'm feeling very
vindicated," Mr. Lowe told AP.  "We had been yelling for a long time
that Ford was not playing fair . and now they're going to pay a price."

Ford's only immediate comment was what it has said all along about the
van: The company remains confident that it's a very safe vehicle, AP
states.  Despite the judge's decision to alert jurors of the hidden
safety records, Ford still will be able to present evidence at the
trial to defend the van's safety.


ILLINOIS: Winnebago County Presents Resolutions To Resolve Inmate Suit
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Winnebago County, Illinois is set to adopt two resolutions that will
hopefully, resolve a class action filed by disgruntled inmates in their
county jail, the Rockford Register Star reports.  

The overcrowded jail is only designed for 393 inmates, but the daily
population hovers around 600.  In November, voters approved a 1-cent
sales tax increase to build a larger jail and pay for rehabilitation
programs for the inmates.  The suit states the jail's conditions
violate the inmates' human rights.

State Attorney Paul Logli will ask a County Board Committee to adopt
two resolutions.  The first resolution affirms the county's intent to
build a downtown jail that could immediately accommodate about 975
inmates.  The second resolution affirms the county's intent to spend
more money on electronic monitoring, reopening the satellite jail and
hiring more staff to reduce a backlog of pending court cases, the
Rockford Reporter Star states.

"The resolutions basically allow me to go in front of the federal court
and say that the county is making good-faith efforts to resolve the
crowding problems," Mr. Logli told the Rockford Reporter Star.


JP MORGAN: Labels Lawsuit "Without Merit," Denies Profiting From Slaves
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Investment firm JP Morgan Chase said no evidence exists to support
claims that it is linked by long-ago mergers to banks that sold
insurance to African slave traders before the Civil War, a Chase
spokesman said Tuesday, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Early this week, two women filed a class action in Galveston, Texas
federal court, accusing several firms of prospering in part because of
profits from slavery.  The suit also names as defendants Union Pacific
Railroad and Westpoint Stevens, Inc.

"We have examined our archives and had them examined by an outside,
independent archival expert to look for any evidence to support these
allegations," Chase spokesman Tom Johnson told the Chronicle.  "We've
found nothing to indicate that we were involved in any of the (slave)
transactions that are being quoted in articles about the lawsuit.  
These allegations are without merit."

Descendants of African-American slaves filed the suit, seeking
reparation for their ancestors' forced labor, the bulk of which would
go into a trust to finance health care for African-Americans and
programs to foster racial healing, attorneys who filed the lawsuit
said.  The value of unpaid slave labor from 1790 to 1860 is estimated
by some to have been worth $40 million at the time, according to the
lawsuit.  That figure would translate to as much as $1.4 trillion in
today's market, the lawsuit maintains, the Chronicle reports.   

Robert Notzon, one of the attorneys representing the slave descendants
for the NAACP, said Chase's alleged involvement with slave-trade
insurance is not the only allegation the banking giant will face as the
case proceeds.  "Insurance is one issue; profiting is another," Mr.
Notzon said. "I'm sure they financed businesses that profited from the
slave trade."

Union Pacific has denied profiting from the slave trade, claiming that
the railroad wasn't created until 1897, more than 30 years after
President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery.  Westpoint spokeswoman
Toni Cauble said Tuesday the company does not comment on pending
lawsuits, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The attorneys are seeking class-action status for the case and have
named as defendants "Corporate Does Nos. 1-100," leaving room for
additional corporate defendants "until such time as the specific
identity of such additional companies is ascertained through discovery
or other means."  The lawsuit opens with a 10-page summary of the
history of slavery and its effects in the United States and Texas, from
the time a Dutch slave ship sailed into Jamestown harbor in 1619 to the
present.  The lawsuit dubs Texas "the last frontier of slavery in the
United States."


OKLAHOMA: Private School Seeks Entry into State High School Association
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Christian Heritage Academy in Oklahoma has commenced a class action
that seeks to allow every private school in Oklahoma to be granted
entry into the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association
(OSSAA), which governs high school athletics and oversees its
championship, the Daily Oklahoman reports.

The private school from Del City has been seeking to join the OSSAA
since the late 1990s, but its membership - consisting of public schools
throughout the state - voted to keep the school out. The school claims
its right to due process has been violated, although it's been granted
the same due process any other Oklahoma private school would receive in
attempting to gain membership.  The school further asserts that its
membership denial "may" be "based in part on religious discrimination."

Convincing a judge of that will be difficult, the Daily Oklahoman
states.  OSSAA member schools have allowed other religiously affiliated
schools in efore -- Bishop McGuinness, Mount St. Mary and Oklahoma
Christian in the Oklahoma City metro area among them.  "They admit
there are other Christian (school) members" in the state association,
said Clyde Muchmore, an attorney representing the OSSAA.  "And they
don't explain how the association discriminates against Christians."


PRIME INC.: OOIDA Launches Lawsuit Over Unlawful Compensation Practices
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Officers and directors of Missouri-based Prime Inc., faces a class
action filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
(OOIDA) in Greene County, Missouri Circuit Court, alleging unlawful
worker's compensation practices, the Trucker states.  The suit names as
defendants:

     (1) Robert Low, President,

     (2) officer-director Lawana Low and

     (3) officer-director Vera Low

OOIDA and association member Jeffrey Warta commenced the suit.  He had
a lease-purchase agreement from 1996 until April 2000 with Success
Leasing, a subsidiary of Prime.  He did not obtain ownership interest
under terms of the agreement, the Trucker reports.  The plaintiffs
allege that Prime deducted weekly premiums from Mr. Warta's
compensation ostensibly to pay workers' compensation insurance
premiums.

Mr. Warta allegedly was injured in April 2002 while working for Prime
and applied for compensation benefits through the Missouri Labor and
Industrial Relations Commission.  Prime allegedly intervened in his
proceeding as his employer, which enabled the company to direct his
medical treatment and obtain additional benefits under the state's
workers' compensation law, the Trucker states.

Missouri law states that, for the purpose of workers' compensation, an
employee includes an owner-operator who has leased a vehicle under the
lease-purchase agreement without truck ownership interest.  The law
also prohibits an employer from charging an employee for workers'
compensation coverage, according to the Trucker.

The plaintiffs allege Prime deducted premiums from Mr. Warta and other
similarly situated drivers in violation of Missouri law and, at the
same time, considered itself the employer of Mr. Warta and other
drivers when claims were made.  The suit seeks unspecified punitive
damages against Prime and the Lows and alleges they are liable to Mr.
Warta and the others "for unjust enrichment" and "fraud."


QT INC.: Consumer Sues Alleging Pain Relief Bracelets Only "Placebos"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
QT, Inc. faces a class action filed by a Chicago consumer, alleging
that the bracelets it manufactured and sold as a pain relief device
were only "placebos," NBC5.com reports

Arthritis sufferer Donald Casey, 78, filed the suit against Que Te
"Andrew" Park, and his Elk Grove Village-based QT Inc., claiming the
company misled consumers into believing its Q-Ray bracelets were
specially "ionized" to help increase strength and relieve joint pain
and arthritis, in Cook County Circuit Court.  "I was duped," Casey told
NBC5.com. "It did nothing for me."

Mr. Casey said he bought his first Q-Ray bracelet for about $120 after
meeting Mr. Park at a golf trade show near O'Hare International Airport
in the mid-1990s.  Mr. Casey claimed Mr. Park personally told him the
bracelet could relieve his arthritis pain and did not warn him that the
bracelets had not been evaluated as a medical device by the US Food and
Drug Administration or properly researched to learn if they provided an
actual medical benefit, NBC5.com reports.  Mr. Casey said he bought a
second bracelet for $170 in 1997 as a gift for a friend.

According to the Q-Ray Web site, the bracelets work "under the same
principle as the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture."  The site
claims the bracelet helps to balance the body's negative and positive
ions, keeping the body balanced and helping to generate natural pain
relief.  A disclaimer on the site states, "The manufacturer makes no
claim that there is a scientific consensus regarding this product.  The
statements made on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA.  This
product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease."

"I thought I was getting some benefit out of it, but I didn't know, I'm
not a doctor," Mr. Casey told NBC5.com.  He wore the bracelet until
December, when he learned about a Mayo Clinic study debunking the
company's claims.  According to the suit and published reports, the
Mayo Clinic in November released a study involving 610 people that
found the bracelets provide no medical benefit.

In the study, half of the subjects wore Q-Ray bracelets and the other
half wore placebo bracelets, according to news reports.  Similar
numbers of people in both groups reported less pain while wearing the
bracelets.  "I'm sorry to find out that the bracelet is a fraud," Mr.
Casey told NBC5.com.  He said he did not notice any change in his
condition during the years he wore the bracelet, but said he cut his
pain medication dosage in half until he stopped wearing the bracelet.

Repeated phone calls to QT Inc. seeking comment on the suit were not
immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.  Mr. Park could not be reached
for comment, NBC5.com reports.  No court dates were immediately set for
the suit.


RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: April Arguments For Affirmative Action Suits Set
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The United States Supreme Court scheduled arguments for April 1,2003
for two politically charged politically charged cases challenging the
University of Michigan's affirmative action policies that favor
minority applicants, Reuters reports.

President George Bush last week ordered the United States Justice
Department to file written briefs asking the Supreme Court to halt the
programs, saying they were "unconstitutional" and arguing that race-
neutral alternatives were available.  Democrats in Congress and civil
rights leaders criticized the move.

At the White House, President Bush sought to explain the
administration's position.  "My position is that, as the brief says,
that there are clearly unconstitutional means to achieve diversity.
There are race-neutral ways to achieve diversity, which I have put in
place as the governor of Texas, and that we'll leave the courts to
define the outer limits of the Constitution," he said, according to
Reuters.  

"The courts will make the definition of the outer limits," President
Bush told reporters.

The justices will hear one hour of arguments in the case on
undergraduate admissions and one hour of arguments in the other case on
law school admissions.  The next step in the cases will be for the
university and those supporting the affirmative action policies to file
written briefs next month. After arguments in April, a decision will be
due by the end of June, Reuters states.


SECURITIES LITIGATION: Regulators Impose Limits On Securities Analysts
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Regulators are building walls around stock analysts so high that even
companies' CEOs won't be able to scale them, the New York Daily News
reports.  After a year of disclosures about analysts caving to the
interests of investment bankers, regulators are putting the final
touches on a new set of rules they hope will protect the integrity of
stock advice.

Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill already signed off on a term sheet that will
limit his interactions with analysts.  That's not to say they can't
talk business, but someone will always be listening.  Regulators are
planning to ask the CEOs of other big banks, including Goldman Sachs'
Henry Paulson and Morgan Stanley's Philip Purcell to agree to similar
rules.  Still, some analysts said monitoring what analysts write is
more valuable than limiting contact with CEOs.

Thomas Leach, chief investment officer of Wells Fargo said, "It is much
more important to rebuild and maintain our enforcement industry; it
doesn't help if you monitor the dialogue, if you don't have penalties
and enforcement."

Regulators say the CEO should still be able to do his job but he will
need to recognize he can't apply pressure to analysts.  The new rules
don't mean the CEO cannot interact with his own employees, but it does
mean the CEO has to be careful he is not doing something that could be
regarded as inappropriate.

While these restrictions are an attempt to prevent future problems,
investors are pursuing restitution from the banks on their own through
class actions.  The regulators expect to provide some of these suits
with ammunition when they release the results of their probes in the
next few weeks.


SECURITIES LITIGATION: Credit Suisse, Citigroup Expect More Fraud Suits
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Investment firms Credit Suisse and Citigroup are bracing for a wave of
lawsuits from disgruntled investors and have set aside hundreds of
millions of dollars, Reuters reports.  However, the two firms have
warned that these provisions might not be enough.

According to analysts' calculations, the industry could spend more than
US$3 billion for securities suits over artificial stock price inflation
and other issues, if other major investment banks were to make
provisions on the same scale.  "If you add it all up you get to about
US$3 billion dollars potentially in reserves for litigation," Piers
Brown, banking analyst at Commerzbank Securities told Reuters.

US regulators have commenced probes against major investment banks, and
they are expected to face a flood of civil litigation.  Credit Suisse,
parent of investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston, made a US$450
million provision against private lawsuits, which is in addition to the
US$150 million already set aside to cover a settlement with US
regulators, Reuters states.  In the United States, Citigroup -- parent
of Salomon Smith Barney -- set aside US$1.3 billion for a settlement
with US regulators over stock research and related civil litigation,
plus Enron-related lawsuits.  Both banks warned that the provisions
could go higher depending on what legal action they might face.

Last month, ten investment banks reached a settlement with New York
Attorney General Elliot Spitzer after months of investigation, to
settle charges that they manipulated their research to win investment
banking business.  However, the banks could still face litigation from
individual investors on top of the regulatory settlement so the costs
keep rising.

Analysts say banks with big retail brokerage networks, which include
Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, could be more vulnerable
than those with mainly institutional brokerage operations.  "Spitzer is
due to release all the evidence he has collected sometime this month,
which could be used by anybody wanting to make class action suits
against the banks," Mr. Brown told Reuters.  "There's clearly quite a
big risk that that's going to happen."


TEXAS: Abilene Residents Launch Suit Over Damage to Property by Floods
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Residents of Brookhollow and River Oaks in Southwest Abilene, Texas
filed a class action against the state's Department of Transportation,
alleging the agency's construction on the Winters Freeway worsened the
property damage they incurred in the July floods, the Abilene-Reporter
Online states.

The 83 plaintiffs in the class action allege construction barriers on
US Highways 83 and 84 prevented the natural flow of floodwaters July 6,
causing a torrential overflow into their neighborhoods.  They are
asking for an unspecified of compensation for the property damages
caused by the flood.


TOBACCO LITIGATION: Philip Morris, Others Sued Over "Light" Cigarettes
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip Morris Companies and other tobacco firms are accused in a new
wave of product-liability lawsuits of lying about the health effects of
"light" cigarettes, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Philip Morris goes on trial this week in a state court in Illinois in a
class action by smokers who claim the world's largest tobacco company
deceived them about the danger of Marlboro Lights and Cambridge Lights.  
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. and British American Tobacco's
Brown & Williamson unit face similar suit elsewhere.

The claims raise the possibility of billion-dollar damages for the
cigarette makers.  In the last three years, juries in California and
Florida have returned multibillion-dollar verdicts against Philip
Morris in cases involving full-strength cigarettes.  The cigarette
companies say they haven't lied, noting that each pack carries a health
warning.  That defense proved unsuccessful in a Portland, Oregon case
about a year ago.  A jury told Philip Morris to pay $150 million, later
reduced by a judge to $100 million -- to the family of a deceased
smoker who used the low-tar products.

With the light-cigarettes trials on the horizon, Philip Morris said in
November that it would put inserts into about 130 million packs of
light, medium, mild and ultra-light cigarettes, saying they are not
safer than full-strength brands.  The inserts are a response to a US
National Cancer Institute report in November 2001, that said low-tar or
light cigarettes did not reduce the chances of getting smoking-related
diseases, said Brendan McCormick, a company spokesman.

The report indicated smokers had been led by advertising to believe the
cigarettes were safer.  Public-health advocates have since urged a ban
on using words such as "light" and "ultra-light" on packaging.

Separately, the tobacco firms are defending themselves in a New Orleans
courtroom this week in a class-action lawsuit that seeks to force the
companies to pay for Louisiana smokers' medical checkups.  The lawsuit
seeks to force tobacco companies to finance a 25-year program of
medical monitoring tests and pay to help Louisiana smokers quit.


WAL-MART STORES: Employee Sue, Saying Store Required Work Off The Clock
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Workers in Wal-Mart Stores say it was constant - 15 minutes of off-the-
clock work here, an abbreviated lunch there, an announcement over the
PA system when they had clocked out, requesting their return to arrange
stock, an abbreviated lunch time because store errands were imposed -
small things, but always required during the workers' time, not the
store's, The Baltimore Sun reports.  

The workers suing Wal-Mart for unpaid wages all use different words,
but are saying the same things:  

     (1) that they asked and asked for compensation for the extra time
         worked with no success;  

     (2) that it was somewhat shocking to discover that this attempt to
         get free labor was being imposed upon the so-called
         "associates" by a company with high profit margins, the envy
         of the industry and a star performer in many a stock
         portfolio;

     (3) that such a company would try to weasel free labor from people
         already at the bottom of the pay scale, yes said the workers,
         it was shocking.

In many states, Wal-Mart is the single largest employer.  The stores
may bring hundreds of jobs to a community, but labor activists complain
they are not always good ones - pay averages about $9 an hour.  Wal-
Mart has successfully rebuffed attempts to unionize its employees.  The
Company denies that it regularly makes employees work off the clock but
concedes there are isolated incidents of this happening.

Workers have filed a lawsuit in Michigan, similar to others filed
elsewhere by workers seeking certification as a class to represent all
Wal-Mart employees in their state.  Plaintiffs have had mixed results.  
Wal-Mart successfully beat class certification attempts in Ohio, Texas
and Louisiana.  However, a suit filed in Colorado was settled out of
court after Wal-Mart reportedly agreed to pay $50 million.  Similarly,
employees won their case in Oregon, where a federal jury decided last
month that the company violated wage-and-hour laws.  A subsequent jury
will decide the amount Wal-Mart will pay.  Wal-Mart may appeal the
Oregon verdict.  In Michigan, a Circuit Court judge took testimony in
November, then put the case on hold until later this month.

Attorneys for the company have argued that the employees who have sued
the company may have individual complaints against their respective
managers but do not represent the entire class of Wal-Mart workers, as
their lawsuits seek to do.

In the thousands of pages of documents that make up the case's files,
former Wal-Mart employees describe a workplace decidedly at odds with
the company's carefully crafted image of stores with friendly greeters
at the door and an atmosphere of small-town warmth.


WESTAR ENERGY: On-Looking Lawyers Say Securities Suit Not Broad Enough
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Attorney Daniel Lykins of Topeka, Kansas, who has been critical of
Westar Energy Inc. and its former chairman said he and other lawyers
are watching a shareholder lawsuit which was filed recently against the
company, Associated Press Newswires reports.  Mr. Lykins said he and
the other concerned lawyers watching this present lawsuit hope Westar's
papers are made public, making it easier to file even more class
actions.

The shareholders' suit charges the Company and its top executives
knowingly issued false and misleading statements about the Company's
finances.  The suit contends hundreds of thousands of people lost money
because Westar securities sold at artificially high prices.  Westar is
Kansas' largest electric company.  The attorneys who recently filed the
lawsuit in District Court in Topeka, are seeking certification of the
suit as a class action, applying to anyone who bought Westar stock
between March 30, 2001 and December 26, 2002.

The only named plaintiff is Howard B. Kahn, a Coral Springs, Florida
investor, who owns 1,000 shares each of Westar's common and preferred
stock.  The Company is named in the lawsuit, as well as top executive
officers and some directors.  Filing the lawsuit on Mr. Kahn's behalf
are attorneys with Swanson Midgley of Kansas City, Missouri, Schiffrin
Barroway of Bala Cynwyd, Philadelphia and Cauley Geller Bowman and
Coates of Boca Raton, Florida.

The watchful attorney is Daniel Lykins of Topeka, who has been a vocal
critic of David Wittig, who resigned as Westar chief executive officer
in November, following his indictment on federal charges that Mr.
Wittig and a former Topeka banker hid the true purpose of a $1.5
million loan, unrelated to Westar business, to Mr. Wittig.

Mr. Lykins raised Mr. Wittig's management of Westar as an issue during
his unsuccessful run for the 2nd Congressional District seat last year.  
Mr Lykins said he does not think the lawsuit is broad enough.  He
believes it ought to apply to Westar's management for the past five
years.

Critics contend that Mr. Wittig and other top executives mismanaged the
company, saddling it with too much debt from a foray into the security
alarm business.  The company has argued instead that it suffered from
the financial woes that beset other utilities.

                     New Securities Fraud Cases

AES CORPORATION: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Fraud Suit in E.D. VA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia on behalf of all purchasers of the common stock of AES
Corporation (NYSE: AES) between April 26, 2001 and February 14, 2002,
inclusive.

The complaint charges AES Corporation and certain of its officers and
directors with issuing false and misleading statements concerning its
business and financial condition.  Specifically, the complaint alleges
defendants issued numerous statements highlighting the Company's strong
financial performance, specifically its business operations in the
United Kingdom.

As alleged in the complaint, these statements were materially false and
misleading because they failed to disclose and/or misrepresented the
following adverse facts, among others:

     (1) that the United Kingdom adopted a new framework for the
         pricing of energy that undermined the Company's ability to
         achieve profitability in its United Kingdom activities, and
         as a result, the Company would experience a rapid decline in
         its U.K. financial operations;

     (2) the adoption of NETA (New Energy Arrangements) in the United
         Kingdom caused the Company's Fifoots utility operations to
         operate at a loss, as expected; defendants, however,
         continuously touted AES's United Kingdom operations as
         profitable;

     (3) that in the first quarter of 2001, Fifoots had an after-tax
         loss of $11 million; and

     (4) that the Company's United Kingdom operations were severely
         impaired as a result of new pricing arrangements adopted there
         and that the Company lacked adequate long-term contracts to
         avoid a rapid decline in its United Kingdom operations as a
         result of the new pricing arrangements.

On February 14, 2002, AES shocked the market by announcing that it had
ceased operations at its Fifoots Point power station in the United
Kingdom because of ``sliding wholesale electricity prices.''  The price
of the Company's stock dropped precipitously in inordinate trading
volume when the Company, for the first time, announced that it was
experiencing problems in its Fifoots Point power plant in the United
Kingdom and as a result the plant would be closed.

In response to the news, AES plummeted over 25% on February 15, 2002
after the truth concerning AES's Fifoots Point plant and future
prospects were finally revealed, dropping from $9.50 per share on
February 14, 2002, to $7.00 per share on February 15, 2002 -- on
enormous trading volumes of 29,962,400 (far greater than the Company's
average trading volume of 3.3 million shares).

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


ALLEGHENY ENERGY: Marc Henzel Launches Securities Fraud Suit in S.D. NY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New
York, on behalf of purchasers of the securities, and options on the
securities of Allegheny Energy, Inc. (NYSE: AYE) between April 23, 2001
and October 8, 2002, inclusive, against the Company and certain of its
officers and directors.

On March 16, 2001, Allegheny Energy's subsidiary Allegheny Energy
Supply Company, LLC announced that it completed its acquisition of
Global Energy Markets (G.E.M.) from Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.  The
complaint alleges that Allegheny Energy made false and misleading
statements during the class period in that it omitted to state that its
revenues (and revenue guidance) materially depended, on illusory,
revenue creating, "wash transactions" with Enron, and other deceptive
energy trading practices.  At no point did Allegheny Energy disclose to
the investing public that:

     (1) the surge in its revenues was attributable to G.E.M.'s
         practice of engaging in deceptive and illusory trades; and

     (2) that after the Enron story broke, Allegheny Energy could no
         longer engage in these deceptive trading practices as
         successfully, and that revenues would drop as a result.

On September 25, 2002, the Company sued Merrill Lynch for fraud and
breach of contract related to the G.E.M. acquisition.  In that lawsuit,
Allegheny Energy alleged that it overpaid for G.E.M. because the unit's
financial reports had been inflated by sham trades involving Enron.  
The Company admitted that G.E.M engaged in a significant amount of wash
or round trip energy trades with Enron, and perhaps others.  The
Company further admitted that the effect of those trades was to
artificially inflate revenues, trading volumes and growth rate.

The Company's September 25, 2002 admissions set a chain of events in
motion, which would result in the Company's stock's tumble from a high
of $12.85 on September 25, 2002 to $3.80 on October 8, 2002 -- a drop
of $9.05, or 70%.  On October 1, 2002, Moody's downgraded Allegheny
Energy's credit to junk status.  The Company, in a press release,
reassured investors that this would not trigger any default or
prepayment of the firm's debt.  A week later, on October 8, 2002, the
Company announced that it was in technical default under its credit
agreements.

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


AMERADA HESS: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Fraud Suit in NJ Court
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, on
behalf of purchasers of Amerada Hess Corp. (NYSE: AHC) common stock
during the period between Feb. 9, 2001 and July 11, 2001.

The complaint charges Amerada Hess and certain of its officers and
directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The
complaint alleges that beginning in early 2001, Amerada Hess began
secret discussions to acquire Triton Energy Limited, in order to obtain
needed additional oil reserves and to significantly boost Amerada Hess'
crude oil production.  However, it immediately became clear to Amerada
Hess' top insiders that due to the demands of Triton's CEO and Triton's
controlling shareholder that if Amerada Hess was to acquire Triton,
Amerada Hess would have to pay an extremely high price of over $3
billion for Triton, a price in excess of what standard valuation
approaches would justify for Triton, a price that would represent a
very substantial premium over Triton's stock trading price and a price
that would require Amerada Hess to borrow billions of dollars to
finance the purchase of Triton.

Without disclosing these discussions and negotiations or Amerada Hess'
decision to offer to pay over $3 billion to acquire Triton, the top
insiders at Amerada Hess who were involved in, or aware of, the details
concerning the proposed acquisition of Triton, sold off huge amounts of
their Amerada Hess stock to avoid the losses they knew they would
suffer from the sharp decline in Amerada Hess' stock which they knew
would occur when the Triton acquisition was disclosed, and thus profit
from the artificial inflation in the price of Amerada Hess' stock that
persisted while they failed to disclose material information about the
proposed Triton acquisition.

By not disclosing that they were actively negotiating for the
acquisition of Triton, the Individual Defendants violated their duty to
"abstain" or "disclose" under the 1934 Act and pursued a scheme to
defraud, and a course of business that operated as a fraud or deceit on
purchasers of Amerada Hess stock by selling off over 1.3 million of
their Amerada Hess shares at as high as $90 per share for proceeds of
$119 million.

On July 10,2001, after the Individual Defendants had completed their
stock sales, Amerada Hess disclosed it was acquiring Triton for $3.2
billion, $45 per share, a very large, over 50%, premium over Triton's
July 9,2001 closing price of $29-29/32. Amerada Hess stock fell from
$81-11/16 on July 9,2001 to $77 on July 10,2001; to $74 per share on
July 12,2001 and to $70-19/32 per share on July 18,2001, a cumulative
decline of well over 13% in just seven trading sessions.  By September
26,2001, just weeks after Amerada Hess completed the Triton deal and
disclosed it had had to borrow $2.5 billion to finance the transaction,
Amerada Hess' stock fell to $59-3/32 compared to its Class Period high
of $90-13/32 in 5/01, a 34% decline.

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


AMERICAN ELECTRIC: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Suit in S.D. Ohio
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio on
behalf of purchasers of the securities of American Electric Power
Company, Inc. (NYSE: AEP) between April 24, 2001 and October 9, 2002,
inclusive.  The action is pending against the Company, E. Linn Draper,
Jr., and Susan Tomasky.

The suit alleges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated
thereunder, by issuing a series of material misrepresentations to the
market between April 24, 2001 and October 9, 2002, thereby artificially
inflating the price of AEP securities.  Throughout the class period, as
alleged in the complaint, AEP issued materially false and misleading
statements regarding its increasing energy trading revenues and
earnings.

As alleged in the complaint, these statements were materially false and
misleading because they failed to disclose, among other things, that:

     (1) the Company failed to implement appropriate risk management
         procedures regarding information provided to trade
         publications;

     (2) as a result of this failure to implement appropriate risk
         management procedures, the Company was manipulating price
         indices used throughout the industry;

     (3) as a result of this manipulation, the Company gained revenue
         and profits that it could not maintain absent manipulation;

     (4) without improper manipulation, the Company could not
         successfully maintain its energy trading business; and

     (5) as a result, the energy trading business was not the business
         opportunity that the Company presented throughout the class
         period.

On October 9, 2002, the last day of the class period, AEP announced
that it had fired five of its thirty natural-gas traders, who AEP
stated had given false gas pricing data to index publishers.  While AEP
acknowledged that its traders had not been engaged in "ethical business
practices," it claimed that it did not know whether the false data
affected the published indices. In fact, no one at AEP asked any of the
fired traders why they engaged in the fraudulent activities.  As
alleged in the complaint, by making this announcement, AEP was
essentially admitting that it had failed to institute appropriate
oversight measures to prevent the wrongful activity, and by doing so,
was able to make substantial profits from its energy selling
activities.

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


AMERICREDIT CORPORATION: Emerson Poynter Launches Securities Suit in TX
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Emerson Poynter LLP initiated a securities class action in the United
States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth
Division on behalf of purchasers of AmeriCredit Corp. (NYSE:ACF) common
stock during the period between April 14, 1999 and September 16, 2002,
inclusive.  The firm filed the initial complaint and will be amending
the complaint to expand the class period to January 15, 2003.

The suit alleges that AmeriCredit and certain of its officers and
directors violated federal securities laws.  Among other things,
plaintiff alleges that defendants' material omissions and the
dissemination of materially false and misleading statements regarding
the nature of AmeriCredit's revenues and earnings caused AmeriCredit's
stock price to become artificially inflated, causing huge damages for
investors.

For more details, contact Tanya Autry by Phone: 281-488-8854 or 1-800-
663-9817


AON CORPORATION: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Fraud Suit in N.D. IL
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois,
Eastern Division on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Aon
Corporation (NYSE: AOC) between May 4, 1999 and August 6, 2002,
inclusive, against the Company and:

     (1) Patrick G. Ryan and

     (2) Harvey N. Medvin

The suit alleges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated
thereunder, by issuing a series of material misrepresentations to the
market between May 4, 1999 and August 6, 2002, thereby artificially
inflating the price of Aon securities.

Throughout the class period, as alleged in the complaint, defendants
issued numerous statements and filed quarterly and annual reports with
the SEC which described the Company's earnings and financial
performance.  The complaint alleges that these statements were
materially false and misleading because they failed to disclose and/or
misrepresented the following adverse facts, among others:

     (i) that the Company had materially overstated its net income by
         $27 million in 1999, by $24 million in 2000 and by $5 million
         in the first quarter of 2002;

    (ii) that the Company lacked adequate internal controls and was
         therefore unable to ascertain the true financial condition of
         the Company; and

   (iii) that as a result, the value of the Company's net income and
         financial results were materially overstated at all relevant
         times.

On August 7, 2002, before the market opened for trading, Aon shocked
the market when it announced, among other things, that:

     (a) it had failed to meet analysts' expectations on its earnings
         for the second quarter by a wide margin;

     (b) because of the slumping financial markets, it had canceled a
         spinoff of its insurance underwriting businesses to
         shareholders; and

     (c) the SEC had began an investigation of its accounting and was
         questioning several items in the Company's accounts, including
         the reporting of investment write-downs, the timing of some
         costs and a reinsurance recoverable item and the decision not
         to consolidate certain special purpose vehicles.

Aon also stated that, if the SEC says it is necessary, it will have to
restate its earnings for the past three years, and reduce its net
income by $27 million in 1999, by $24 million in 2000 and by $5 million
in the first quarter of 2002.  Following this report, shares of Aon
fell $6.43 per share to close at $14.77 per share, a one-day decline of
30.3%, on volume of more than 20 million shares traded, or more than
twenty times the average daily volume.

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


ARIBA INC.: Milberg Weiss Commences Securities Fraud Lawsuit in N.D. CA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP initiated a securities class
action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
California on behalf of purchasers of Ariba, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARBA)
publicly traded securities during the period between January 11, 2000
and January 15, 2003.

The complaint charges the Company and certain of its officers and
directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  
Ariba is a spend-management software solutions provider.  Ariba
provides software, services and network access to enable corporations
to evaluate and manage the cash costs associated with running their
business.

On January 15, 2003, the Company issued a press release entitled,
"Ariba Provides Update on Accounting Review and Restatement of
Financial Statements."  The press release stated in part: "Ariba, Inc.
announced today that it will restate its financial statements for the
fiscal years ended September 30, 2001 and 2000 and for the quarters
ended March 31, 2000 through June 30, 2002 as a result of an ongoing
review of accounting matters."

While Ariba's financial statements were admittedly false, the Company's
top officers and directors took advantage of this and sold nearly $692
million worth of their Ariba shares to the unsuspecting public.

For more details, contact William Lerach by Phone: 800/449-4900 by E-
mail: wsl@milberg.com or visit the firm's Website:
http://www.milberg.com


BIO-TECHNOLOGY GENERAL: Marc Henzel Commences Securities Lawsuit in NJ
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
on behalf of shareholders who purchased, converted, exchanged or
otherwise acquired the common stock of Bio-Technology General Corp.
(NasdaqNM: BTGC) between April 19, 1999 and August 2, 2002, inclusive,
in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
against the Company and certain of its executive officers.

The action charges that defendants violated federal securities laws by
issuing a series of materially false and misleading statements to the
market throughout the class period which statements had the effect of
artificially inflating the market price of the Company's securities.

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


CABLE & WIRELESS: Schatz & Nobel Launches Securities Lawsuit in E.D. VA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Schatz & Nobel PC initiated a securities class action in the United
States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of
all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired American Depository
Receipts (ADRs) of Cable & Wireless PLC (NYSE: CWP) from August 6, 1999
through December 6, 2002, inclusive.  Also included are those who
acquired shares through the acquisition of Cable & Wireless
Communication.

The suit alleges that Cable, a global telecommunications company,
issued a press release on August 6, 1999 announcing that it had agreed
to sell One 2 One, a British based mobile telecommunications operator,
to Deutsche Telekom "Deutsche".  Under the announced terms, Deutsche
would pay 6.9 billion pounds sterling in cash for 100% of the equity
ownership interest in One 2 One.  Additionally, Deutsche would repay
237 million pounds of shareholder loans, and would assume approximately
1.5 billion pounds of third-party debt.

The statements were materially false and misleading because Cable
failed to disclose that an essential term of the deal was a 1.5 billion
pound tax indemnification clause agreed to by Cable, whereby a future
downgrade of Cable's long-term debt rating would trigger a 1.5 billion
pound cash obligation on behalf of Cable.  On December 6, 2002, Moody's
investment service announced that it would downgrade Cable's long-term
debt rating. Cable then issued a press release stating that the
"ratings trigger" was activated.

For more details, contact Nancy A. Kulesa by Phone: 1-800-797-5499 by
E-mail: sn06106@aol.com or visit the firm's Website:
http://www.snlaw.net


CLEARONE COMMUNICATIONS: Marc Henzel Files Securities Suit in UT Court
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel initiated a securities class action
in the United States District Court for the District of Utah on behalf
of all persons who purchased securities of ClearOne Communications,
Inc. (Nasdaq: CLRO) between January 1, 2001, and January 15, 2003,
inclusive.

The suit charges ClearOne and certain of its executive officers with
violations of federal securities laws.  Among other things, plaintiff
claims that defendants' material omissions and the dissemination of
materially false and misleading statements concerning ClearOne's
revenue and earnings caused ClearOne's stock price to become
artificially inflated, inflicting damages on investors.

The suit alleges that, in order to inflate the price of ClearOne's
stock, defendants caused the Company to falsely report its financial
results during the class period through improper revenue recognition
practices, including recognizing revenue for shipments to distributors
even though the distributors had the right to return or exchange unsold
goods.

On January 15, 2003, the last day of the class period, the Securities
and Exchange Commission filed a federal lawsuit alleging that
defendants violated numerous federal securities laws, primarily through
a program of "channel stuffing" -- shipping large amounts of inventory
to the company's distributors with the understanding that the
distributors did not have to pay for these products until the
distributors resold the products, and that in some instances the
distributors were given the right to return or exchange products the
distributors were unable to sell.

For more details, contact Marc S. Henzel by Mail: 273 Montgomery Ave.,
Suite 202, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 by Phone: 610-660-8000 or 888-643-6735
by Fax: 610-660-8080 by E-Mail: mhenzel182@aol.com or visit the firm's
Website: http://members.aol.com/mhenzel182       


MOTOROLA INC.: Schatz & Nobel Launches Securities Fraud Suit in S.D. NY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Schatz & Nobel PC initiated a securities class action in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf
of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the publicly traded
securities of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) from February 3, 2000 through
May 14, 2001, inclusive.  Also included are those who acquired shares
through the acquisition of C-Port Corporation.

The suit alleges that the defendant breached his fiduciary duty by
issuing materially false and misleading statements concerning the
Company's financial condition.  Specifically, defendant issued numerous
statements and filed reports with the SEC which described a $1.5
billion dollar deal with Telsim, a Turkish cellular phone system
operator, under which Motorola would provide equipment, services and
infrastructure to expand Turkey's global system for mobile
communications.  Defendant failed to disclose, among other things:

     (1) the Telsim deal required Motorola to provide Telsim with $1.7
         billion in vendor financing-essentially loans from Motorola to
         Telsim to purchase Motorola products;

     (2) the level of risk which Motorola was facing by providing such
         vendor financing; and

     (3) the vendor financing was secured primarily by a pledge of
         Telsim stock

The complaint alleges that as a result of these false and misleading
statements, the price of Motorola was artificially inflated throughout
the class period.

For more details, contact Nancy A. Kulesa by Phone: 1-800-797-5499 by
E-mail: sn06106@aol.com or visit the firm's Website:
http://www.snlaw.net


VERITAS SOFTWARE: Milberg Weiss Commences Securities Suit in N.D. CA
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP initiated a securities class
action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
California on behalf of purchasers of VERITAS Software Corporation
(NASDAQ:VRTS) publicly traded securities during the period between
January 24, 2001 and January 16, 2003.

The complaint charges the Company and certain of its officers and
directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  
VERITAS is a software storage company that provides data protection,
storage management and disaster recovery software.  The complaint
alleges that on January 17, 2003, the Company announced the restatement
of its 2000 and 2001 financial statements as a result of its improper
accounting for transactions with AOL Time Warner in 2000.  The release
stated in part: "(t)he transactions involved in a $50 million software
purchase by AOL and a $20 million advertising services purchase from
AOL."

While VERITAS' financial statements were admittedly false and its stock
price artificially inflated, the Company's top officers and directors
took advantage of this and sold nearly $15 million worth of their
VERITAS shares to the unsuspecting public.

For more details, contact William Lerach by Phone: 800/449-4900 by E-
mail: wsl@milberg.com or visit the firm's Website:
http://www.milberg.com


                              *********


S U B S C R I P T I O N   I N F O R M A T I O N

Class Action Reporter is a daily newsletter, co-published by
Bankruptcy Creditors' Service, Inc., Trenton, New Jersey, and
Beard Group, Inc., Washington, D.C.  Enid Sterling, Aurora Fatima
Antonio and Lyndsey Resnick, Editors.

Copyright 2002.  All rights reserved.  ISSN 1525-2272.

This material is copyrighted and any commercial use, resale or
publication in any form (including e-mail forwarding, electronic re-
mailing and photocopying) is strictly prohibited without prior written
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Information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be
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The CAR subscription rate is $575 for six months delivered via e-mail.  
Additional e-mail subscriptions for members of the same firm for the
term of the initial subscription or balance thereof are $25 each.  For
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