- (IDG) - A New York law firm has launched
a class-action lawsuit against AT and its spin-off Lucent Technologies
on behalf of individuals or organizations who use the companies' telecommunications
equipment that isn't Year 2000-compliant. Beatie and Osborn filed suits
in New York Supreme Court and New Jersey Superior Court in January, charging
the companies with marketing and selling equipment they knew would cause
problems when the calendar rolled over to 2000.
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- "They said in marketing materials
that the product 'will carry your business beyond the Year 2000,' even
though they knew there would be compatibility issues," says Curt Marshall,
attorney with the eight-member firm.
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- The suit alleges that AT and Lucent violated
state consumer-protection laws and breached warranties. A Lucent spokesperson
says the charges are groundless.
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- "We've been working with customers
for a long time on Year 2000 issues," says Lynn Newman, a Lucent representative.
"We went through our records to try to identify customers for whom
this may be an issue."
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- All Lucent Business Communications Systems
products released after September 30, 1996, "are Y2K-compliant or
we will make them compliant at our cost," Newman says. Most other
customers are covered by service agreements and get Year 2000 solutions
for free, she adds.
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- The lawsuits seek repair or replacement
costs and an undetermined amount in punitive damages, according to Marshall.
He declined to say how many entities have joined the class-action suit.
The suit covers a huge range of products, from switching systems to system-management
products to videoconferencing systems.
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- Lucent has asked the judge in the New
York case to dismiss the charges, Newman says. The companies have not yet
responded to the complaint in New Jersey court, Marshall says.
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- The suit is not the first Y2K-related
charge brought against Lucent, Newman says.
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- "We've had other actions but they've
been settled, [though] how they were resolved and the terms are confidential,"
she said.
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