Squitieri & Fearon, LLP represents plaintiffs and large groups or classes of individuals who have suffered losses as a result of the misdeeds of corporations or other individuals. Below is a sample of some of the notable cases that Squitieri & Fearon, LLP is prosecuting.
In February of 2006 we brought a class action against Clear Channel Communications Inc. (now known as Live Nation) for its unlawful anticompetitive and monopolistic practices, which illegally inflate the cost of tickets that customers purchase for live rock concerts. The complaint alleges that Clear Channel leveraged its radio business to obligate artists to use Clear Channel to promote its live concerts, which in turn has stifled competition in the live concert promotion industry and enabled Clear Channel to charge supra-competitive prices for rock concert tickets. more »
In October of 2009 we brought a class action lawsuit against Live Nation and the PNC Bank Arts Center for violating the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. In particular, the complaint alleges that defendants violated the law by (1) charging parking fees to all patrons regardless of whether the patrons were driving and irrespective of the number of available parking spaces; (2) charging an unauthorized charity surcharge; and (3) raising the ticket price on so-called “No Service Fee Wednesdays” in order to cover any potential loss in revenue. Plaintiffs have survived the motion to dismiss this action. Have you been misled by Live Nation’s surcharges or claims of no-fee tickets? Report Your Case.
Squitieri & Fearon, LLP is investigating claims for people who had annuities through MetLife Securities, Inc. (MSI) and had those annuity contracts replaced by MetLife with more expensive annuities or with annuities that had less favorable features.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently fined MSI $25 million for its improper practices. FINRA ordered MetLife to pay $5 million to its customers for making negligent material misrepresentations and omissions on variable annuity (VA) replacement applications for tens of thousands of customers. Each misrepresentation and omission made the replacement appear more beneficial to the customer, even though the recommended VAs were typically more expensive than customers’ existing VAs. MSI’s VA replacement business constituted a substantial portion of its business, generating at least $152 million in gross dealer commissions for the firm over a six-year period.
FINRA found that from 2009 through 2014, MSI misrepresented or omitted at least one material fact relating to the costs and guarantees of customers’ existing VA contracts in 72 percent of the 35,500 VA replacement applications the firm approved, based on a sample of randomly selected transactions.
FINRA also found that MSI failed to ensure that its registered representatives obtained and assessed accurate information concerning the recommended VA replacements, and did not adequately train its registered representatives to compare the relative costs and guarantees involved in replacing one VA with another.
In addition, FINRA found that since at least 2009, firm customers have received misleading quarterly account statements that understate the total charges and fees incurred on certain VA contracts.
If you or somebody you know had annuities through MSI and had those annuity contracts replaced by MetLife, please contact Stephen J. Fearon, Jr. at (212) 421-6492 or stephen@sfclasslaw.com. You can also complete the following form, and someone from the firm will contact you.
Squitieri & Fearon, LLP is investigating claims that certain mutual fund companies charge investors excessive fees for investment advice. We’ve repeatedly seen investors who have been charged excessive fees by the mutual funds, often mischaracterized and disguised as “investment advisory fees”. As one part of the scheme, the investment adviser subcontracts investment management duties to sub-advisers and doesn’t perform any duties as an asset manager but still charges the funds and its shareholders for investment advisory fees.
Frequently the fees are so disproportionately large that they bear no reasonable relationship to the services provided to the mutual funds.
If you or somebody you know has been charged excessive or hidden fees by your mutual fund, we would like to hear from you.
Please contact Stephen J. Fearon, Jr. by e-mail at stephen@sfclasslaw.com or by phone at (212) 421-6492. You can also complete the following form, and someone from the firm will contact you.
Squitieri & Fearon, LLP is investigating claims for customers who bought or leased certain white Nissan models.
The white paint used on some of these vehicles causes premature paint failure such as bubbling, peeling, delaminating, and other paint issues, causing you damages.
If you or someone you know was affected by this, you may be eligible to pursue a claim for damages. Please complete the following form, and someone from the firm will contact you, or you can contact Stephen J. Fearon, Jr. by e-mail at stephen@sfclasslaw.com or by phone at (212) 421-6492.
If you have suffered loss from an action not described above, please click here to Report Your Case.