From: RDShatt
To: heyscott@u.washington.edu
Sent: 8/28/2009 11:02:13 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Seeking business ethics expert regarding Expedia class action lawsuit
Dear Professor Reynolds,
I am writing this email to you because you are a professor of business ethics at the University of Washington and because of a certain class action lawsuit that is pending in King County against one of Washington's leading corporations Expedia, and that is described at Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
I believe that class action litigation such as that pending against Expedia undermines business ethics. My argumentation in support of this contention is set forth at length in this online article of mine: Does the Civil Liability System Undermine Business Ethics?
I am trying to find a business ethics expert in the Seattle area who would be interested in joining with me in making a submission to the King County court judge that would argue how the class action lawsuit against Expedia the judge is overseeing undermines business ethics and is counterproductive to promoting ethical corporate behavior.
Would you be interested?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: dienharj@seattleu.edu
Sent: 8/28/2009 11:16:32 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Seeking business ethics expert regarding Expedia class action lawsuit
Dear Professor Dienhart,
I am writing this email to you because you are a professor of business ethics at Seattle University and because of a certain class action lawsuit that is pending in King County against one of Washington's leading corporations Expedia, and that is described at Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
I believe that class action litigation such as that pending against Expedia undermines business ethics. My argumentation in support of this contention is set forth at length in this online article of mine: Does the Civil Liability System Undermine Business Ethics?
I am trying to find a business ethics expert in the Seattle area who would be interested in joining with me in making a submission to the King County court judge that would argue how the class action lawsuit against Expedia the judge is overseeing undermines business ethics and is counterproductive to promoting ethical corporate behavior.
Would you be interested?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: cohenm@seattleu.edu
Sent: 8/28/2009 11:36:51 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Seeking business ethics expert regarding Expedia class action lawsuit
Dear Professor Cohen,
I am writing this email to you because you are a professor of business ethics at Seattle University and because of a certain class action lawsuit that is pending in King County against one of Washington's leading corporations Expedia, and that is described at Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
I believe that class action litigation such as that pending against Expedia undermines business ethics. My argumentation in support of this contention is set forth at length in this online article of mine: Does the Civil Liability System Undermine Business Ethics?
I am trying to find a business ethics expert in the Seattle area who would be interested in joining with me in making a submission to the King County court judge that would argue how the class action lawsuit against Expedia the judge is overseeing undermines business ethics and is counterproductive to promoting ethical corporate behavior.
Would you be interested?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShattTo: ludeschj@seattleu.eduSent: 8/28/2009 11:38:18 A.M. Central Daylight TimeSubj: Seeking business ethics expert regarding Expedia class action lawsuit
Dear Professor Ludescher,
I am writing this email to you because you are a professor of business ethics at Seattle University and because of a certain class action lawsuit that is pending in King County against one of Washington's leading corporations Expedia, and that is described at Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
I believe that class action litigation such as that pending against Expedia undermines business ethics. My argumentation in support of this contention is set forth at length in this online article of mine: Does the Civil Liability System Undermine Business Ethics?
I am trying to find a business ethics expert in the Seattle area who would be interested in joining with me in making a submission to the King County court judge that would argue how the class action lawsuit against Expedia the judge is overseeing undermines business ethics and is counterproductive to promoting ethical corporate behavior.
Would you be interested?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: stevecal@u.washington.edu
Sent: 9/1/2009 6:06:43 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Dear Professor Calandrillo,
I am a citizens' class action objector. The most recent class action of which I have received notice is against Expedia, Inc. (headquartered in the state of Washington) that is pending in King County Superior Court and that is further described here: Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
There are many critics and much criticism of class action lawsuits, and thousands of plaintiff class members, including myself, file objections in class actions about proposed settlements and attorney fees.
I am currently trying to advance two contentions that I think are deserving of more attention than they have heretofore received. The two contentions have a connection to each other I believe.First, I contend that class action litigation such as the Expedia lawsuit does not promote an objective of the law to lessen corporate wrongdoing, and such litigation is in fact counterproductive to that end and it undermines the fostering and inculcation of ethical business conduct. My argumentation to this effect is set out at length in this article of mine: Does the Law Undermine Business Ethics?Second, I contend that this litigation such as the Expedia case is very questionable in serving the social utility of "doing justice." The main reason it is questionable is that I believe insufficient attention is paid to the extent to which this litigation at bottom is only about making transfers of amounts by and among parties in interest who are not culpable of any wrongdoing. It is possible there has been wrongdoing by corporate officers and employees or other individuals, and as a result some innocent parties have received a benefit from the wrongdoing and other innocent parties have had a loss or cost imposed on them. Whether or not there has been such wrongdoing, the case against the corporation should be considered as an unjust enrichment case, and nothing more. The facts and circumstances of all the persons who have been unjustly enriched and at whose expense they have been unjustly enriched are likely highly variable and somewhat indeterminate, and it is likely there has not been adequate investigation, or opportunity for argument, as to persons who are contended to have been unjustly enriched, the particular facts about whether or not he was unjustly enriched or, if he was unjustly enriched, about whether more is being taken from him in the litigation than the amount by which he was unjustly enriched.The reason I believe insufficient attention is paid to viewing the case as being nothing more than an unjust enrichment case is a certain blindness that has arisen in the law because the plaintiffs' lawyers get their riches by and large out of the pockets of parties in interest who are innocent of wrongdoing. In order to do that, they want to bang the drum of corporate wrongdoing and do not want any reasonable and thoughtful consideration of factors such as who the wrongdoing individuals are, how much those individuals benefited from their wrongdoing, how much they are being called on or not called on to compensate harmed parties, and to what extent is it fair and just in the situation to have innocent parties in interest pay for an alleged loss.Having stated the foregoing reason of the explanation for my second contention, I think you will readily discern its connection to my first contention.
I have sent emails to the presiding judge in the Expedia lawsuit, which may be found here.
I am writing this email to you because of your "Law & Economics" area of expertise at the University of Washington School of Law. There is much of economics in manifold ways in class action lawsuits, including related to "doing justice" and "social utility." Would you have any comment you would care to make about my above two contentions? Would you be interested in joining me in expressing to the court in the Expdedia lawsuit any views on the subject?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: stevecal@u.washington.edu
To: RDShatt@aol.com
Sent: 9/2/2009 10:43:10 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: RE: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Hi Robert,
You raise very interesting points that I take well. I confess I am extremely overcommitted at the moment and unable to get involved in your cause. But I’m interested in the outcome of your objections so please do let me know what results.
Best,
Steve
Steve Calandrillo
From: RDShatt
To: stevecal@u.washington.edu
Sent: 9/3/2009 6:00:49 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Re: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Thank you very much for replying, Professor Calandrillo, and I will be desirous of letting you know about developments.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: mcginnis@u.washington.edu
Sent: 9/1/2009 7:21:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Dear Professor McGinnis,
I am a citizens' class action objector. The most recent class action of which I have received notice is against Expedia, Inc. (headquartered in the state of Washington) that is pending in King County Superior Court and that is further described here: Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
There are many critics and much criticism of class action lawsuits, and thousands of plaintiff class members, including myself, file objections in class actions about proposed settlements and attorney fees.
I am currently trying to advance two contentions that I think are deserving of more attention than they have heretofore received. The two contentions have a connection to each other I believe.First, I contend that class action litigation such as the Expedia lawsuit does not promote an objective of the law to lessen corporate wrongdoing, and such litigation is in fact counterproductive to that end and it undermines the fostering and inculcation of ethical business conduct. My argumentation to this effect is set out at length in this article of mine: Does the Law Undermine Business Ethics?Second, I contend that this litigation such as the Expedia case is very questionable in serving the social utility of "doing justice." The main reason it is questionable is that I believe insufficient attention is paid to the extent to which this litigation at bottom is only about making transfers of amounts by and among parties in interest who are not culpable of any wrongdoing. It is possible there has been wrongdoing by corporate officers and employees or other individuals, and as a result some innocent parties have received a benefit from the wrongdoing and other innocent parties have had a loss or cost imposed on them. Whether or not there has been such wrongdoing, the case against the corporation should be considered as an unjust enrichment case, and nothing more. The facts and circumstances of all the persons who have been unjustly enriched and at whose expense they have been unjustly enriched are likely highly variable and somewhat indeterminate, and it is likely there has not been adequate investigation, or opportunity for argument, as to persons who are contended to have been unjustly enriched, the particular facts about whether or not he was unjustly enriched or, if he was unjustly enriched, about whether more is being taken from him in the litigation than the amount by which he was unjustly enriched.The reason I believe insufficient attention is paid to viewing the case as being nothing more than an unjust enrichment case is a certain blindness that has arisen in the law because the plaintiffs' lawyers get their riches by and large out of the pockets of parties in interest who are innocent of wrongdoing. In order to do that, they want to bang the drum of corporate wrongdoing and do not want any reasonable and thoughtful consideration of factors such as who the wrongdoing individuals are, how much those individuals benefited from their wrongdoing, how much they are being called on or not called on to compensate harmed parties, and to what extent is it fair and just in the situation to have innocent parties in interest pay for an alleged loss.Having stated the foregoing reason of the explanation for my second contention, I think you will readily discern its connection to my first contention.
I have sent emails to the presiding judge in the Expedia lawsuit, which may be found here.
I am writing this email to you because of your "Civil Procedure" area of expertise at the University of Washington School of Law and your corporate litigation experience. My above contentions raise significant questions about when corporations should be looked through to identify "real parties in interest" and correlations between losses and unjust enrichments.
Would you have any comments you would care to make about my above two contentions? Would you be interested in joining me in expressing to the court in the Expdedia lawsuit any views on the subject?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: wolcher@u.washington.edu
Sent: 9/1/2009 7:31:34 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Dear Professor Wolcher,
I am a citizens' class action objector. The most recent class action of which I have received notice is against Expedia, Inc. (headquartered in the state of Washington) that is pending in King County Superior Court and that is further described here: Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
There are many critics and much criticism of class action lawsuits, and thousands of plaintiff class members, including myself, file objections in class actions about proposed settlements and attorney fees.
I am currently trying to advance two contentions that I think are deserving of more attention than they have heretofore received. The two contentions have a connection to each other I believe.First, I contend that class action litigation such as the Expedia lawsuit does not promote an objective of the law to lessen corporate wrongdoing, and such litigation is in fact counterproductive to that end and it undermines the fostering and inculcation of ethical business conduct. My argumentation to this effect is set out at length in this article of mine: Does the Law Undermine Business Ethics?Second, I contend that this litigation such as the Expedia case is very questionable in serving the social utility of "doing justice." The main reason it is questionable is that I believe insufficient attention is paid to the extent to which this litigation at bottom is only about making transfers of amounts by and among parties in interest who are not culpable of any wrongdoing. It is possible there has been wrongdoing by corporate officers and employees or other individuals, and as a result some innocent parties have received a benefit from the wrongdoing and other innocent parties have had a loss or cost imposed on them. Whether or not there has been such wrongdoing, the case against the corporation should be considered as an unjust enrichment case, and nothing more. The facts and circumstances of all the persons who have been unjustly enriched and at whose expense they have been unjustly enriched are likely highly variable and somewhat indeterminate, and it is likely there has not been adequate investigation, or opportunity for argument, as to persons who are contended to have been unjustly enriched, the particular facts about whether or not he was unjustly enriched or, if he was unjustly enriched, about whether more is being taken from him in the litigation than the amount by which he was unjustly enriched.The reason I believe insufficient attention is paid to viewing the case as being nothing more than an unjust enrichment case is a certain blindness that has arisen in the law because the plaintiffs' lawyers get their riches by and large out of the pockets of parties in interest who are innocent of wrongdoing. In order to do that, they want to bang the drum of corporate wrongdoing and do not want any reasonable and thoughtful consideration of factors such as who the wrongdoing individuals are, how much those individuals benefited from their wrongdoing, how much they are being called on or not called on to compensate harmed parties, and to what extent is it fair and just in the situation to have innocent parties in interest pay for an alleged loss.Having stated the foregoing reason of the explanation for my second contention, I think you will readily discern its connection to my first contention.
I have sent emails to the presiding judge in the Expedia lawsuit, which may be found here.
I am writing this email to you because of your "Remedies & Restitution" area of expertise at the University of Washington School of Law. My above contentions raise questions about when corporations should be looked through to identify "real parties in interest" and correlations between losses and unjust enrichments, and would seem to come under "Remedies & Restitution" to some extent.
Would you have any comment you would care to make about my above two contentions? Would you be interested in joining me in expressing to the court in the Expdedia lawsuit any views on the subject?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: rgordon@gee-law.com
Sent: 9/1/2009 8:24:44 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Dear Professor Gordon,
I am a citizens' class action objector. The most recent class action of which I have received notice is against Expedia, Inc. (headquartered in the state of Washington) that is pending in King County Superior Court and that is further described here: Expedia Litigation Settlement Website.
There are many critics and much criticism of class action lawsuits, and thousands of plaintiff class members, including myself, file objections in class actions about proposed settlements and attorney fees.
I am currently trying to advance two contentions that I think are deserving of more attention than they have heretofore received. The two contentions have a connection to each other I believe.First, I contend that class action litigation such as the Expedia lawsuit does not promote an objective of the law to lessen corporate wrongdoing, and such litigation is in fact counterproductive to that end and it undermines the fostering and inculcation of ethical business conduct. My argumentation to this effect is set out at length in this article of mine: Does the Law Undermine Business Ethics?Second, I contend that this litigation such as the Expedia case is very questionable in serving the social utility of "doing justice." The main reason it is questionable is that I believe insufficient attention is paid to the extent to which this litigation at bottom is only about making transfers of amounts by and among parties in interest who are not culpable of any wrongdoing. It is possible there has been wrongdoing by corporate officers and employees or other individuals, and as a result some innocent parties have received a benefit from the wrongdoing and other innocent parties have had a loss or cost imposed on them. Whether or not there has been such wrongdoing, the case against the corporation should be considered as an unjust enrichment case, and nothing more. The facts and circumstances of all the persons who have been unjustly enriched and at whose expense they have been unjustly enriched are likely highly variable and somewhat indeterminate, and it is likely there has not been adequate investigation, or opportunity for argument, as to persons who are contended to have been unjustly enriched, the particular facts about whether or not he was unjustly enriched or, if he was unjustly enriched, about whether more is being taken from him in the litigation than the amount by which he was unjustly enriched.The reason I believe insufficient attention is paid to viewing the case as being nothing more than an unjust enrichment case is a certain blindness that has arisen in the law because the plaintiffs' lawyers get their riches by and large out of the pockets of parties in interest who are innocent of wrongdoing. In order to do that, they want to bang the drum of corporate wrongdoing and do not want any reasonable and thoughtful consideration of factors such as who the wrongdoing individuals are, how much those individuals benefited from their wrongdoing, how much they are being called on or not called on to compensate harmed parties, and to what extent is it fair and just in the situation to have innocent parties in interest pay for an alleged loss.Having stated the foregoing reason of the explanation for my second contention, I think you will readily discern its connection to my first contention.
I have sent emails to the presiding judge in the Expedia lawsuit, which may be found here.
I am writing this email to you because I have identified you as the Seattle University law school faculty member who has probably the most experience and expertise to comment on the subject of class action litigation and my above two contentions.
I recognize that it is highly unlikely that you and I will have any significant degree of agreement about the subject. I am soliciting law professors and business ethics professors at the University of Washington and Seattle University to join with me in expressing their views to Judge Benton about the Expedia class action. If some of them have differing views, I desire for differing views to be submitted to Judge Benton as well. I invite you to submit differing views to Judge Benton if you wish to take the time.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
From: RDShatt
To: annclark@seattleu.edu
Sent: 9/3/2009 4:54:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Fwd: In re Expedia Hotel Taxes and Fees Litigation
Dear Dean Clark,
I sent the below email to Professor Gordon [set forth above] because he seemed to be the Seattle University law school faculty member who had the most experience and expertise to comment on the subject of class action lawsuits and on contentions I am trying to advance that, among other things, class action lawsuits undermine business ethics.
I have noticed your interest in medical liability and bioethics and thought you might have views on some of the matters I raise, particularly since Howard Dean seems to have informed the body politic that the plaintiffs' lawyers are putting their interest ahead of the country's interest in trying to address the national health care crisis.
I hope I hear back from you.
Sincerely,
Robert Shattuck
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