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LEGAL AND REGULATORY MATTERS
3 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2011
LEGAL AND REGULATORY MATTERS  
LEGAL AND REGULATORY MATTERS

8.              LEGAL AND REGULATORY MATTERS

 

On June 16, 2009, a putative stockholder derivative action was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Hudson County, Chancery Division, against the Company and certain of its current and former directors and senior executives.  The Company has been named as a nominal defendant.  The complaint alleges, among other things, that certain of the Company’s current and former directors and executives breached their fiduciary duties to the Company and its stockholders by causing the Company to issue false and misleading public statements and by abdicating their responsibilities to the Company and its stockholders, in violation of state law.  The complaint also alleges that the defendants committed corporate waste in connection with a severance payment to the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer.  The complaint seeks monetary damages from the individual defendants as well as costs and disbursements of the lawsuit, including expert fees, as well as equitable relief.  On November 20, 2009, defendants moved to dismiss the complaint, on the grounds that, among other things, (i) the claims asserted in the action are barred by the prior settlement of the stockholder class action filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) plaintiff failed to make a demand on the Company’s Board of Directors to initiate the lawsuit, as required by applicable state law.  The court heard oral arguments on the motion to dismiss on March 25, 2010 and on June 3, 2010 the court issued an oral decision denying the defendants’ motion to dismiss, while stating that the court took no position on the merits of the case.  On July 28, 2010, the defendants filed a motion in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, seeking extraordinary leave to appeal from the interlocutory order denying defendants’ motion to dismiss, which motion was denied on August 20, 2010.   On February 14, 2011, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle the action pending execution of a formal settlement agreement. On April 29, 2011, the parties executed a settlement memorandum of understanding, which the parties submitted to the court on May 2, 2011.  This claim has been tendered to our insurance carrier and we believe that the payment of the settlement will be covered by our insurance.  As such, we do not expect that this litigation will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

 

During the First Quarter 2011, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries became a party to, nor did any of their property become the subject of, any material legal proceedings.  Except as noted above, there were no material developments to any legal proceedings previously reported in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2011.

 

The Company is also involved in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business.  In the opinion of management, any ultimate liability arising out of these proceedings will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial condition.