Jury Awards Valassis $300 Million in News America Lawsuit

Media and marketing services company Valassis this month was awarded $300 million for compensatory damages in a lawsuit against News America Marketing (NAM), a subsidiary of News Corp. Valassis had claimed unfair competition and tortious interference by NAM at the trial, held in Michigan's Wayne County Circuit Court before the Honorable Michael F. Sapala. The jury's verdict found NAM liable on both counts. (The Institute's repeated attempts to obtain a copy of the decision from the court have been unsuccessful.)News America Marketing will appeal the decision, said Chris Mixson, the company's president. Valassis has additional lawsuits pending against NAM in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, asserting violations of the Sherman Act; and in the Supreme Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, raising claims under California's Cartwright, Unfair Competition and Unfair Practices acts. The Eastern District of Michigan case and the California case are currently not scheduled for trial; Valassis, however, intends to aggressively pursue both remaining claims. "We are pleased with the jury's verdict, and we look forward to moving ahead with our two other cases, including the antitrust case in the Eastern District of Michigan where any compensatory damages will be trebled," said Alan Schultz, Valassis chairman and ceo. "Furthermore, I am very proud of the efforts of our employees, who have been competing on this uneven playing field for nearly a decade."

Jury Awards Valassis $300 Million in News America Lawsuit

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