Hylla
An eleven year-old national class action case against Sprint is set for case management April 28 before Madison County Circuit Judge David Hylla.
Proceedings in the case have been stayed twice since April 2009 as the Madison County court awaits word on a move for joint approval of the case's settlement.
According to the case files, attorneys for the at least 400,000-member nationwide class and Sprint reached 48 separate settlement agreements in 2008.
They moved in Massachusettes' court to approve the agreements jointly. As of October 2009, that final approval had not been granted and the Madison County case remained stayed.
In an order from February 2010, Hylla wrote that the parties have informed him that appellate actions in the case are under way, although the order is unclear as to where and what those actions are.
The class action, encompassing 21 states, is over Sprint's allegedly improper installation of telecommunications lines in railway easements that exceed the rights of the easements.
The case had originally been assigned to then-Madison County Circuit Judge Phillip Kardis.
Sprint is represented by Gordon Broom, Troy Bozarth and others.
Lead plaintiff in the case, Ronald Poor, is represented by Elizabeth Heller.
The other lead plaintiffs, Kenneth House and Willaredt Acres Inc., are represented by David Antognoli.
Amended plaintiffs Gail and Sallie Shore were dismissed from the case.
An intervenor in the case, John Issacs of Parke County, Ind., is represented by Heller.
The case management conference is set to begin at 9:30 a.m.
The case is Madison case number 1999-L-421.