Title
Dept/ Agency: Law
Action: ( X ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Professional Services Contract
Purpose: Representation in Aluminum Sulfate Class Action
Entity Name: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Golub Isabel & Cervino, P.C.
Entity Address: 455 N. Cityfront Plaza Dr. Chicago, Illinois 60611 and 160 Littleton Road, Suite 300, Parsippany, New Jersey 07054
Contract Amount: Undetermined. No municipal funds to be expended
Funding Source: Funds, penalties, attorney's fee recovered through the Class Action Lawsuit
Contract Period: November 16, 2015 through November 15, 2016
Contract Basis: ( ) Bid ( ) State Vendor (X) Prof. Ser. ( ) EUS
( ) Fair & Open ( X ) No Reportable Contributions ( ) RFP ( ) RFQ
( ) Private Sale ( ) Grant ( ) Sub-recipient ( ) n/a
Additional Information:
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WHEREAS, Liquid aluminum sulfate is a coagulant used to, among other things, remove impurities and other substances from water. The principal customers for liquid aluminum sulfate are municipalities like the City of Newark ("Newark"), which use it for water treatment, and pulp and paper manufacturers which use it in their manufacturing processes; and
WHEREAS, Newark learned that on or about September 29, 2015, a former Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for General Chemical Corporation ("General Chemical"), pled guilty to "a one-count Information...in which he is charged with one count of violation 15 U.S.C. ? 1 in connection with a combination and conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition in the sale and marketing of liquid aluminum sulfate by agreeing to rig bids and allocate customers for, and to fix, stabilize, and maintain the price of, liquid aluminum sulfate sold to municipalities and pulp and paper companies in the United States from at least as early as 1997 and continuing until approximately July 2010." Plea Agre...
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