STETSON v. WEST PUBLISHING CORP.
BAR/BRI CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT WEBSITE

 

Please be advised that the Court held a Final Settlement Hearing on June 20, 2011. The Court has not granted final approval to this settlement. Please continue to check this website as it will be updated with the most current information available.  

This is the website set up in accordance with the proposed settlement of the lawsuit Stetson v. West Publishing, Corp., et al. The purpose of this website is to supplement the notice mailed to Class Members and provide additional information and documentation regarding the proposed settlement.  

 To view and print the Notice, Claim Form, and other Settlement Documents, please click on Case Documents above. For a list of available Kaplan Courses that Class Members can use the Discount Certificates towards, please click on Kaplan Course List above. Please note that this list is as of the mail date of the Notice to Class Members. An up-to-date list of qualifying Kaplan courses will be maintained at the website referenced on the Discount Certificates, www.kaptest.com/credit. Each Discount Certificate mailed to Class Members contains a unique code which can be redeemed only once.

 Following is a summarized, general overview of the proposed settlement:

What is this lawsuit about?

 Plaintiffs alleged that BAR/BRI agreed not to compete in the LSAT business and that Kaplan agreed not to compete in the bar review business, thereby allocating to BAR/BRI the market for full service bar review courses in the United States and preventing a competitive bar review course from being marketed and sold.

 Plaintiffs also alleged that BAR/BRI unlawfully acquired and maintained a monopoly in the market for full service bar review courses in the United States and also conspired to monopolize that market, all through a variety of means.  As a result, Plaintiffs alleged, competition in the relevant market was adversely affected 

Am I a member of the Class?

 All persons and entities who paid for a BAR/BRI full-service bar-review course from August 1, 2006, through and including March 21, 2011, will be considered members of the class. 

What are the Benefits of the Settlement? 

Class Members may potentially receive both a cash payment as well as a Discount Certificate towards a future Kaplan course. Each Discount Certificate mailed to Class Members contains a unique code which can be redeemed only once. 

West has agreed to pay the total sum of $5,285,000, which sum shall be used to make distributions to and for the benefit of Class Members who submit properly completed and timely Claim Forms if the Settlement is approved by the Court. In addition to the Settlement Fund established by West, Kaplan has agreed to provide at least one Discount Certificate to each Class Member.  For further details regarding the Settlement Fund and Discount Certificates, please review the Notice and additional information available by clicking on Case Documents above. 

How do I get the benefits of the settlement? 

To receive a cash payment from the Settlement Fund, you must complete and submit a Claim form and mail it, postmarked no later than May 30, 2011.  You may download the form by clicking on Case Documents above. If you would like a Notice and Claim Form mailed to you, you can call the Settlement Administrator at 888-293-3337. 

Each Class Member was mailed at least one Discount Certificate. For more details regarding the Discount Certificates, please refer to the Notice by clicking on Case Documents or Frequently Asked Questions above.   

When will the proposed Settlement be approved?

A final fairness hearing will take place on June 20, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom 8 of the Unites States District Court, 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.  

I don’t want to be a part of this Class Action. How do I get out of the Settlement? 

If you do not want to remain a Member of the Class settling with either West Publishing Corp. or Kaplan, Inc., which means you do not want to participate in any benefits from the Settlement, you must file a request for exclusion in writing to the Claims Administrator postmarked on or before May 30, 2011. 

How do I tell the Court if I don’t like the Settlement? 

If you do not exclude yourself from the Class, you will remain in the Class and may object to the Settlement.  To object to the Settlement, attorney’s fee awards, reimbursement of expenses of Class Counsel, or payment of Incentive Awards to the Representative Plaintiffs, you must file your objection in writing on or before May 30, 2011.  

If I do nothing at all, what happens? 

If you do nothing in response to the Notice, you will not receive a check for your portion of the Settlement Fund.  However, you will be permitted to redeem your Discount Certificate(s) or transfer them if the Settlement in approved.   

Where can I get additional information? 

In addition to the information available on this settlement website, you can contact the Settlement Administrator by mail or by phone. For information on how to contact the Settlement Administrator, please click on Contact Us above.