Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.law,americast.usa-today.law From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: law Tue, Sep 15 1992 Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 04:23:48 EDT Message-ID: 09-15 0000 DECISIONLINE: Business Law USA TODAY Update Sept. 15, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SALOMON ANTITRUST DEAL OK'D: A New York District Court Judge Monday approved the antitrust part of a settlement Salomon Bros. Inc. has accepted. The settlement was over charges it rigged a treasury-note market, the Justice Department said. The judge approved payment of $27.8 million, part of a $290 million settlement. The $27.8 million is the largest civil penalty the antitrust division has received. BELLSOUTH LOSES COURT CASE: American Business Information Inc. said Monday a court dismissed BellSouth Advertising & Publishing's claims of copyright infringement. The U.S. District Court in Georgia dismissed a motion which alleged that American Business Information infringed upon BellSouth's yellow pages patent. It said BellSouth's copyright on its directories doesn't extend to the use of the information. YELLOW PAGE RIGHTS ARE LIMITED: The U.S. District Court in Georgia ruled that BellSouth Advertising & Publishing's copyright on yellow pages extends only to the format in which it is presented. American Business Information Inc., accused of copyright infringement, typed data from BellSouth's yellow pages into its business-to-business database system. BellSouth Advertising is a unit of BellSouth Corp. METLIFE, AETNA FILE FRAUD SUIT: Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and Aetna Life Insurance Co. Inc. Monday filed a lawsuit charging fraud at psychiatric hospitals of National Medical Enterprises Inc. The suit claims that the company engaged in widespread recruiting of patients for hospitals and of wrongfully institionalizing patients. ACT WOULD BE FEDERAL FRAUD: Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and Aetna Life Insurance Co. Inc. said Monday that fraud they claim has been committed by National Medical Enterprise Inc. hospitals would constitute fraud under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrput Organizations Act. MetLife and Aetna together paid more than $500 million to the hospitals from 1987 until this year, they said. ANOTHER STRIKE HURTS GM: GM, still recovering from a strike at a parts plant in Ohio that shut down nine assembly plants, was hit with another blow Monday when workers at its joint venture plant with Suzuki Motor went on strike. About 2,100 workers at the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario walked out midnight Sunday complaining that wages and working conditions lag those of other workers. PLANT OWNER GIVEN 20 YEARS: The owner of a chicken plant where 25 workers died in a fire a year ago in Hamlet, N.C., pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison. Imperial Food Products Inc. owner Emmett Roe pleaded guilty to 25 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The plea came in an agreement that averted a criminal trial in one of the nation's worst job disasters. FED TO TARGET WEAK BANKS: The Federal Reserve Board Monday approved rules that say banking regulators have to take action against undercapitalized banks. Under the rules, to go into effect Dec. 19, 50 to 100 banks face closure. The Fed was the first of four bank and thrift regulatory agencies to act on the so-called corrective action rules. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is expected to vote Tuesday. REALTORS URGE BILL'S PASSAGE: The Michigan Association of Realtors Monday urged passage of the Michigan House Bill 5106, a mandatory property condition disclosure form for home sellers. The bill is pending for the fall session of the House and Senate and is in the House Consumers Committee. State law and Realtor Code of Ethics already requires Realtors to disclose any known defects. MORE OPEN SKIES DEALS LIKELY: Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine says that the open skies agreement signed between the USA and the Netherlands made earlier this month will be replicated in coming months. Likely candidates include smaller trading partners such as Singapore, Switzerland and Belgium. Bigger partners such as France and Germany are unlikely to sign similar agreements. GOUGING GUIDELINES ENACTED: Florida's Treasurer and insurance commissioner, Tom Gallagher, Monday enacted guidelines to protect hurricane victims from price gouging in home repairs and construction. The guidelines are in an emergency rule filed late Friday. The rule includes a schedule of standard construction prices to help consumers determine a fair market cost for repairs to their property. DONALDSON KEEPS DEALER STATUS: The Federal Reserve Board Monday said Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette can retain its status as a primary government securities dealer. A primary dealer can buy and sell directly from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Treasury's fiscal agent. DLJ's status was in question because a French insurance company, Axa SA, acquired a controlling interest in parent The Equitable Companies. Business Law Editor: Beth Mann. (919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM