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Three Rivers Center
for Independent
Living


Contributor Choice #1304 |
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS CIVIL ACTION NO. 03-11206-MEL
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
E*TRADE ACCESS, INC., et al.,Defendants
NOTICE OF CLASS DETERMINATIONS, PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AND HEARING TO BE
HELD ON DECEMBER 4, 2007 TO ALL BLIND PATRONS OF AUTOMATED TELLER
MACHINES (“ATMs”) OWNED OR OPERATED BY EITHER CARDTRONICS, INC., OR
CARDTRONICS, LP (collectively, “Cardtronics”)
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the National Federation of the Blind
(“NFB”), and several individual blind persons have brought claims
against Cardtronics in the class action lawsuit Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, et al. v. E*TRADE Access, Inc., et al., No. CV-03-11206
(the “Lawsuit”), pending before the United States District Court for the
District of Massachusetts (the “Court”). The Lawsuit concerns, among
other things, the accessibility of ATMs owned or operated by Cardtronics
to blind patrons under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and
Massachusetts state laws.
The Court has certified a nationwide class in this Lawsuit that consists
of patrons of ATMs owned or operated by Cardtronics who have total
blindness or central vision acuity not to exceed 20/200 in the better
eye, with corrective lenses, as measured by the Snellen test, or visual
acuity greater than 20/200, but with a limitation in the field of vision
such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle of
not greater than 20 degrees (the “Class Members”).
CARDTRONICS HAS AGREED TO A SETTLEMENT THAT WILL PROVIDE BENEFITS TO ALL
MEMBERS OF THE SETTLING CLASS DESCRIBED BELOW, IF THE SETTLEMENT IS
APPROVED BY THE COURT. THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WILL ALSO RELEASE ALL
CLASS MEMBERS’ CLAIMS FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF RELATING TO THE
ACCESSIBILITY OF CARDTRONICS’ ATMS TO BLIND PEOPLE AS WELL AS ALL CLASS
MEMBER CLAIMS AGAINST E*TRADE BANK FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS.
Cardtronics, without admitting any liability, has agreed to settle the
Lawsuit by, among other actions, ensuring that most ATMs owned by
Cardtronics will offer voice guidance through a standard headphone jack
located on the face of the ATM by no later than December 31, 2007.
Cardtronics will also sell or otherwise make available to merchants or
other third-parties who own ATMs currently serviced by Cardtronics ATMs
that are voice-guided and provide audible instructions to ATM patrons
through a standard headphone jack located on the face of the ATM.
Finally, Cardtronics has committed that, by July 1, 2010, at least
ninety percent (90%) of all Transactions at Covered ATMs shall occur on
ATMs that are Voice-guided or otherwise accessible to Blind people. A
full copy of the settlement agreement is available on Cardtronics’
website:
www.cardtronics.net/news/nfb_settlement.asp.
The locations of the existing ATMs covered by the settlement agreement
can be obtained through Cardtronics’ATM locator feature, available at
www.cardtronics.net/about/atmlocator.asp.
Cardtronics has agreed to make a contribution of $100,000 to the
Attorney General’s local consumer aid fund of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and, subject to Court approval, to pay the amount of
$900,000 in attorneys’ fees to the attorneys representing the class.
These amounts will not detract from Cardtronics’s duties to provide
accessible ATMs to the class.
The Court will conduct a hearing on the motion of class counsel for
their attorneys’ fees at the date and time set forth in the following
paragraph.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure and an Order of the Court dated July 26, 2007, and as
thereafter amended, that a Final Approval Hearing will be held on
December 4, 2007, at 11:00 a.m., before that Court in the United States
Courthouse, One Courthouse Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. The purpose
of this Final Approval Hearing is to determine whether the proposed
settlement of the Lawsuit should be approved by the Court as fair,
reasonable and adequate, whether the application for awards of
attorneys’ fees, contribution to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s
local consumer aid fund, and reimbursement for expenses should be
approved, and whether this action should be dismissed on the merits and
with prejudice.
Class Members who wish to object to the proposed settlement must provide
notice of and explanation of their objection in writing to the Court at
the address above, with copies to Counsel at the addresses provided
below, no later than October 31, 2007. Only Class Members filing timely
objections may request to present their objections at the Final Approval
Hearing.
Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General
Attn: Patricia Correa
Assistant Attorney General
100 Cambridge Street, 11TH floor
Boston, MA 02108
Brown, Goldstein & Levy LLP
Attn: Daniel F. Goldstein, Esq.
120 E. Baltimore Street
Suite 1700
Baltimore, MD 21202
Douglas P. Lobel
Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
One Freedom Square 1 Reston Town Center
11951 Freedom Drive
Reston, VA 20190
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, VISIT
www.cardtronics.net/news/nfb_settlement.asp.
OR CONTACT COUNSEL FOR THE PLAINTIFFS:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Attorney General, Disability
Rights Project,(617) 727-2200,
www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1195
OR
Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, 410.962.1030,
www.browngold.com
EXCEPT AS INSTRUCTED IN THE NOTICE, PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT.
Dated: July 26, 2007 By Order of the United States District Court
For the District of Massachusetts |