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Scholastic

Date Filed: January 30, 2006

Court: US District Court

Location: Seattle

Ticker Symbol: NasdaqNM:SCHL

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro has filed a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit on behalf of consumers who say they were charged for unsolicited items sent by Scholastic, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCHL). The suit claims that the company dupes unsuspecting consumers into a scheme to purchase unsolicited books and educational items.

Scholastic is the largest publisher and distributor of childrenıs books and is the largest operator of school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs in the United States. It also advertises extensively in family magazines, online and in other media.

According to the complaint, Scholastic uses its marketing presence within elementary schools to convince parents to purchase educational products, and then bombards parents with unsolicited goods, demanding payment in violation of state and federal law.

Under Washington state law, as well as in fourteen other states, unsolicited goods are deemed to be gifts with no obligation to pay for or return them.

According to the complaint, when consumers do not pay for the unsolicited goods or try to return them they are harassed, deceived, intimidated, and threatened.

The lawsuit alleges that Scholastic is in violation of various consumer protection laws and seeks to stop its practice of charging for unsolicited items and compensate consumers already harmed by the companyıs actions.

For more information, read the complaint.