Phreakmeister
December 21st, 2002, 12:14 PM
Two Chicago attorneys have filed a class action lawsuit against Penthouse magazine, saying their two clients shelled out $8.99 each for a copy of the magazine to see tennis sensation Anna Kournikova without her racket and tennis outfit. Don't these lawyers have anything better to do with their time than to sue over eight dollars and ninety nine cents? And a class action lawsuit to boot?
Allegedly, the plaintiffs were "distressed" to find out the naked woman was not Kournikova and they each want their money back.
Is that all they really want? I mean, come on, why bother filing a lawsuit to recover a measly $8.99? After all, the filing fee for the lawsuit is more than the amount being sought -- or is it?
Critics of the burgeoning class action law practice say lawsuits like these routinely offer chump change for the plaintiffs but in many cases provide million-dollar bounties for their lawyers.
The two Chicago attorneys who filed the suit are Aron D. Robinson and Boris Parad. Their clients, Vadim Levin and Alex Sheyngis, are of Russian descent and according to the lawsuit, bought copies of the magazine hoping to see more of their fellow countrywoman.
As early as April 26, Kournikova had warned Penthouse that the photos taken by a jewelry salesman of a naked woman on a Florida beach were not her. But the magazine went ahead with a campaign hyping the issue and printing 1.2 million copies of the magazine, double the usual run, the lawsuit states.
"The sales and circulation of Penthouse magazine have been diminishing," the suit states. "At its peak, circulation was approximately 5 million a month. More recently, circulation has declined to about 650,000 per month."
Penthouse went ahead with distributing the magazines until Kournikova and the woman actually photographed, Judith Soltesz-Benetton, daughter-in-law of fashion designer Luciano Benetton, both sued. Penthouse reportedly settled out of court with both women, issued apologies and destroyed what few copies of the magazine that had not been sold.
The suit filed was filed in the class action hotbed of America -- in Cook County Circuit Court. The lawsuit seeks damages for the deceived customers and, of course, attorneys' fees.
Talk about a racket!
Source: Power of Attorneys (http://www.power-of-attorneys.com/stupid_lawsuit_detail.asp?stupid_ID=86)
Allegedly, the plaintiffs were "distressed" to find out the naked woman was not Kournikova and they each want their money back.
Is that all they really want? I mean, come on, why bother filing a lawsuit to recover a measly $8.99? After all, the filing fee for the lawsuit is more than the amount being sought -- or is it?
Critics of the burgeoning class action law practice say lawsuits like these routinely offer chump change for the plaintiffs but in many cases provide million-dollar bounties for their lawyers.
The two Chicago attorneys who filed the suit are Aron D. Robinson and Boris Parad. Their clients, Vadim Levin and Alex Sheyngis, are of Russian descent and according to the lawsuit, bought copies of the magazine hoping to see more of their fellow countrywoman.
As early as April 26, Kournikova had warned Penthouse that the photos taken by a jewelry salesman of a naked woman on a Florida beach were not her. But the magazine went ahead with a campaign hyping the issue and printing 1.2 million copies of the magazine, double the usual run, the lawsuit states.
"The sales and circulation of Penthouse magazine have been diminishing," the suit states. "At its peak, circulation was approximately 5 million a month. More recently, circulation has declined to about 650,000 per month."
Penthouse went ahead with distributing the magazines until Kournikova and the woman actually photographed, Judith Soltesz-Benetton, daughter-in-law of fashion designer Luciano Benetton, both sued. Penthouse reportedly settled out of court with both women, issued apologies and destroyed what few copies of the magazine that had not been sold.
The suit filed was filed in the class action hotbed of America -- in Cook County Circuit Court. The lawsuit seeks damages for the deceived customers and, of course, attorneys' fees.
Talk about a racket!
Source: Power of Attorneys (http://www.power-of-attorneys.com/stupid_lawsuit_detail.asp?stupid_ID=86)