Class Action Attorney in Atlanta Says|He Was Not Offered A Settlement

ATLANTA (CN) - The attorney who filed a class-action complaint accusing LexisNexis Courtlink and Georgia state and superior court officials of running an illegal, mandatory electronic filing system says he did not dismiss his case because the defendants offered to settle it. "For strategic and tactical reasons I'm not at liberty to say why I dismissed the case," attorney Stephen Newton said. He said he plans to refile the federal action soon, and that the defendants never offered a settlement as "they don't think they did anything wrong."

Newton challenged a rule on mandatory electronic filings in Fulton County State Court and Superior Court, through the LexisNexis File & Serve system. He said the mandatory electronic filings can cost up to $11 per case. The system was created under orders from the Fulton County State and Superior Courts, authorized by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Newton claims the Georgia Supreme Court approved the system without understanding its implications.

Newton said he is gathering information to "help us get past the motions to dismiss they plan to file."

He said he did not expect it would take too long to refile the case. "I'd be pretty agitated if it took six months," Newton said.

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