Madison County, IL: A preliminary $21 million settlement has been approved in the Illinois lawsuit brought by Big Sky against AT&T - also known as Illinois Bell Telephone Company - and Ameritech Co, over allegations that the telecom giant granted improper refunds to some companies the defendants allegedly over-charged.
The suit has been going on for seven years, originally filed in 2003 by Big Sky Excavating Company which led a class of small businesses over allegations of improper refunds. AT&T was mandated to refund overcharges to its business customers with multiple lines by state law in 2001.
In November, 2009, the court found that the plaintiff class was entitled to an added $21.20 per telephone line, bringing the total to $21,67,857. The settlement amount approved March 23 is the same as the one ordered in November last year, according to the motion for preliminary settlement approval. A final settlement hearing is scheduled for July 12th. Class members have until June 23 to opt out.
