1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Plaintiff Locke’s Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement Case No. 3:13-cv-01962-JD
Mark S. Eisen (SBN 289009) meisen@edelson.com E
DELSON
PC 555 West Fifth Street, 31st Floor Los Angeles, California 90013 Tel: 213.533.4100 Fax: 213.947.4251 Rafey S. Balabanian (Admitted
pro hac vice)
rbalabanian@edelson.com Benjamin S. Thomassen (Admitted
pro hac vice)
bthomassen@edelson.com E
DELSON
PC 350 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1300 Chicago, Illinois 60654 Tel: 312.589.6370 Fax: 312.589.6378
Attorneys for Plaintiffs and the Putative Class
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
DAMION PERRINE and JOHN LOCKE, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated,
Plaintiffs
,
v
. SEGA OF AMERICA, INC., a California corporation, and GEARBOX SOFTWARE, L.L.C., a Texas limited liability company,
Defendants
. Case No. 3:13-cv-01962-JD
PLAINTIFF LOCKE’S NOTICE OF MOTION AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
Date: September 17, 2014 Time: 9:30 a.m. Judge: Honorable James Donato Action Filed: April 29, 2013
Case3:13-cv-01962-JD Document78 Filed08/11/14 Page1 of 30
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Plaintiff Locke’s Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement ii Case No. 3:13-cv-01962-JD
NOTICE OF MOTION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
that on September 17, 2014 at 9:30 a.m., or at such other time as may be set by the Court, Plaintiff John Locke will move the Court, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23, to grant preliminary approval of the partial class action settlement reached by Plaintiff Locke and Defendant Sega of America, Inc., and attached hereto as Exhibit 1, in Courtroom 11, 19th Floor, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, California 94102, before the Honorable James Donato. Plaintiff Locke seeks preliminary approval of this class action settlement, certification of the proposed settlement class, appointment of Plaintiff Locke as class representative, and appointment of his counsel as class counsel. The Motion is based on this Notice of Motion, the Memorandum of Points and Authorities, oral argument of counsel, all documents in the record, and any other matter that may be submitted or raised at the hearing. Dated: August 11, 2014 Respectfully Submitted, JOHN LOCKE, individually and on behalf of the Class of similarly situated individuals, /s/_Rafey S. Balabanian__________ One of Plaintiff’s Attorneys Rafey S. Balabanian (Admitted
pro hac vice)
rbalabanian@edelson.com Benjamin S. Thomassen (Admitted
pro hac vice)
bthomassen@edelson.com E
DELSON
PC 350 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1300 Chicago, Illinois 60654 Tel: 312.589.6370 Fax: 312.589.6378
Attorneys for Plaintiffs and the Putative Class
Case3:13-cv-01962-JD Document78 Filed08/11/14 Page2 of 30
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Plaintiff Locke’s Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement iii Case No. 3:13-cv-01962-JD
Table of Contents I.
INTRODUCTION
............................................................................................................. 1
II.
BACKGROUND
................................................................................................................ 2
A.
The Facts
...................................................................................................................... 2
B.
The Litigation and Settlement History
...................................................................... 3
III.
TERMS OF THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
....................................................... 5
A.
Monetary Relief
........................................................................................................... 5
B.
Notice and Administrative Expenses
......................................................................... 6
C.
Incentive Award for Class Representative
................................................................ 6
D.
Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses
.................................................................................... 6
E.
Release
.......................................................................................................................... 6
IV.
THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT CLASS SHOULD BE CERTIFIED
.................... 6
A.
The Requirement of Numerosity is Satisfied
............................................................ 8
B.
The Requirement of Commonality is Satisfied
......................................................... 8
C.
The Requirement of Typicality is Satisfied
............................................................... 9
D.
The Requirement of Adequate Representation is Satisfied
................................... 10
E.
The Proposed Settlement Class Meets the Requirements of Rule 23(b)(3)
......... 11 1.
Common Questions of Law and Fact Predominate ............................................... 12 2.
A Class Action is the Superior Method for Adjudicating this Controversy .......... 12
V.
THE COURT SHOULD APPOINT PLAINTIFF’S COUNSEL AS CLASS COUNSEL
........................................................................................................................ 14
VI.
THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT WARRANTS PRELIMINARY APPROVAL
..................................................................................................................... 14
A.
The Settlement is the Product of Serious, Informed, Non-Collusive Negotiations
...................................................................................... 15
B.
There Are No Obvious Deficiencies in the Proposed Settlement
.......................... 16
C.
The Proposed Settlement Does Not Give Preferential Treatment to Any Settlement Class Members
....................................................................................... 17
D.
The Settlement Falls Within the Range of Possible Approval
.............................. 17
VII.
THE PROPOSED NOTICE PLAN SHOULD BE APPROVED
................................ 20
Case3:13-cv-01962-JD Document78 Filed08/11/14 Page3 of 30
