Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_09-cv-05234/USCOURTS-cand-4_09-cv-05234-3/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Storm8, LLC
Defendant
Michael Turner
Plaintiff

Document Text:

[PROPOSED] PRELIMINARY 

APPROVAL ORDER 

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SEAN P. REIS (SBN # 184044) 

sreis@edelson.com 

EDELSON MCGUIRE, LLP 

30021 Tomas Street, Suite 300 

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 

Telephone: 949.459.2124 

Fax: 949.459.2123 

MICHAEL J. ASCHENBRENER (pro hac vice) 

maschenbrener@edelson.com 

CHRISTOPHER L. DORE (pro hac vice) 

cdore@edelson.com 

EDELSON MCGUIRE, LLC 

350 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1300 

Chicago, IL 60654 

Telephone: 312.589.6370 

Fax: 312.589.6378 

ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

MICHAEL TURNER, an individual, on behalf 

of himself and all others similarly situated, 

 Plaintiff, 

 v. 

STORM8, LLC, a California Limited Liability 

Company, 

 Defendant. 

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Case No. 09-cv-05234-CW 

PRELIMINARY APPROVAL 

ORDER 

PRELIMINARY APPROVAL ORDER

Case 4:09-cv-05234-CW Document 31 Filed 07/30/10 Page 1 of 8
[PROPOSED] PRELIMINARY 

APPROVAL ORDER

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WHEREAS, a class action is pending before the Court entitled Turner, et al. v. 

Storm8, LLC, Case No. 09-cv-05234-CW; and 

 WHEREAS, Plaintiff Michael Turner and Defendant Storm8, LLC (“Storm8”) have 

agreed on a Settlement Agreement dated June 21, 2010, which, together with the Exhibits 

attached thereto, sets forth the terms and conditions for a proposed settlement and dismissal 

of the Action with prejudice as to Defendant upon the terms and conditions set forth therein 

(the “Agreement”), and the Court having read and considered the Settlement Agreement and 

Exhibits attached thereto; 

 This matter coming before the Court upon the agreement of the Parties, good cause 

being shown, and the Court being fully advised in the premises, 

 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, DECREED, AND ADJUDGED AS FOLLOWS: 

1. Terms and phrases in this Order shall have the same meaning as ascribed to 

them in the Settlement Agreement. 

2. The Parties have moved the Court for an order approving the settlement of the 

Action in accordance with the Settlement Agreement, which, together with the documents 

incorporated therein, sets forth the terms and conditions for a proposed settlement and 

dismissal of the Action with prejudice, and the Court having read and considered the 

Settlement Agreement and having heard the Parties and being fully advised in the premises, 

hereby preliminarily approves the Settlement Agreement in its entirety subject to the Fairness 

Hearing referred to in paragraph 18 of this Order for purposes of deciding whether to grant 

final approval to the said Settlement Agreement. 

Settlement Class Certification

 3. For purposes of settlement only: (a) Michael Aschenbrener and Christopher 

Dore of Edelson McGuire LLC are appointed Class Counsel for the Settlement Class; and (b) 

Michael Turner is appointed Class Representative. 

Case 4:09-cv-05234-CW Document 31 Filed 07/30/10 Page 2 of 8
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 4. For purposes of settlement only, the Court certifies the following class (“the 

Settlement Class”): all persons in the United States who downloaded and accessed any 

version of any Storm8 game that was released or updated prior to August 30, 2009 on an 

Apple iPhone. 

 5. The Court finds, subject to the Fairness Hearing referred to in Paragraph 18 

below, that the Settlement Agreement is fundamentally fair, adequate, and reasonable, and, 

solely within the context of and for the purposes of settlement only, that the Settlement Class 

satisfies each of the requirements of Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 

specifically, that: the Class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; there 

are questions of law and fact common to the Class; the claims of the Class Representative are 

typical of the claims of the Class; the Class Representative will fairly and adequately protect 

the interests of the Class; common questions of law or fact predominate over questions 

affecting individual members; and a class action is a superior method for fairly and 

efficiently adjudicating the action. 

 6. The Court finds that the Parties entered into the Settlement Agreement in good 

faith, following arm’s length negotiation, including a mediation session with the Hon. 

Eugene Lynch (Ret.). 

 7. Should the Settlement Agreement not receive the Court’s final approval, 

should final approval be reversed on appeal, or should the Settlement Agreement otherwise 

fail to become effective, the Court’s grant of class certification shall be vacated, and the 

Class Representative and the Settlement Class would once again bear the burden of 

establishing the propriety of class certification. In such case, neither the certification of the 

Settlement Class for settlement purposes, nor any other act relating to the negotiation or 

execution of the Settlement Agreement shall be considered as a factor in connection with any 

class certification issue(s). 

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Notice and Administration

 8. The Court approves, as to form and content, the Internet Publication Notice, 

in the form of Exhibit B to the Settlement Agreement, the In-Game form of the Notice, 

substantially in the form of Exhibit C thereto, and the provision for notice set out in 

paragraph 4.2 of the Settlement Agreement constitute valid, due and sufficient notice to all 

persons entitled thereto, that such notice is the best notice practicable under the 

circumstances and that it constitutes due and sufficient notice to all persons entitled thereto 

and complies fully with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and of Due 

Process. The Parties, by agreement, may revise the Notices, and other exhibits to the 

Settlement Agreement in ways that are not material, or in ways that are appropriate to update 

those documents for purposes of accuracy. 

 9. Pursuant to Paragraph 4.2 of the Settlement Agreement, Defendant is 

directed to provide Notice one (1) week after Preliminary Approval through an In-Game 

notification message. Beginning one (1) week after Preliminary Approval of the Settlement, 

Defendant is directed to provide Internet Publication Notice on a website established, 

administered, and maintained by Defendant. This website must inform Class Members of 

their rights and obligations under this Settlement Agreement. 

Exclusion

 10. Settlement Class Members who wish to exclude themselves from the 

Settlement Class may do so if, within forty-five (45) days after Defendant distributes 

the In-Game Notice, they comply with the exclusion procedures set forth in the 

Settlement Agreement and Class Notice. Any Settlement Class Member so excluded 

shall neither be bound by the terms of the Settlement Agreement nor entitled to any of 

its benefits. 

 11. Any Settlement Class Members who elect to exclude themselves or 

“opt out” of the Settlement Agreement must file a written request (hereinafter 

Case 4:09-cv-05234-CW Document 31 Filed 07/30/10 Page 4 of 8
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“Request to Opt Out”) with Class Counsel and Defendant’s Counsel, received or 

postmarked no later than 45 days after the Notice Date. Defendant and Class Counsel 

will record the date of receipt of the Request to Opt Out and forward electronically all 

Requests to Opt Out to both Defendant’s Counsel and Class Counsel on a weekly 

basis following receipt. Defendant’s Counsel and Class Counsel shall retain copies of 

all written Requests to Opt Out until such time as it has completed its duties and 

responsibilities under this Agreement. The Request to Opt Out must be signed by the 

Settlement Class Member, must include the Settlement Class Member’s name, 

address, and telephone number, and must clearly state that the person wishes to be 

excluded from the Action and the Settlement Agreement. No Request to Opt Out will 

be valid unless the request is sent timely and in substantial compliance with the 

requirements of this paragraph. 

 12. Settlement Class Members who opt out of the Settlement Agreement 

will relinquish their rights to benefits under the Settlement Agreement and will not 

release their claims. However, Settlement Class Members who fail to submit a valid 

and timely Request to Opt Out on or before the date specified herein shall be bound 

by all terms of the Settlement Agreement and the Final Judgment and Order 

regardless of whether they have requested exclusion from the Settlement Agreement. 

 13. Any Settlement Class Member who submits a timely Request to Opt 

Out may not file an Objection to the Settlement Agreement and shall be deemed to 

have waived any rights or benefits under the Settlement Agreement. 

 14. Settlement Class Members shall be permitted to withdraw or rescind their optout requests by submitting a statement to Defendant’s Counsel and Class Counsel that 

includes their name, address, and telephone number, and that clearly states their intention to 

withdraw their previous Request to Opt Out of the Settlement Agreement and to now be 

included. Any such rescission of a prior opt-out request must be received by Defendant’s 

Case 4:09-cv-05234-CW Document 31 Filed 07/30/10 Page 5 of 8
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Counsel and Class Counsel no later than the deadline specified in paragraph 10 above. No 

request to rescind a prior opt-out request will be valid unless that request is sent timely and in 

substantial compliance with the provisions of this paragraph. 

Objections

 15. Any Settlement Class Member who intends to object to the fairness, 

reasonableness, or adequacy of the Settlement Agreement (hereinafter “Objections”) 

or to a judgment being entered dismissing the Action with prejudice in accordance 

with the terms of the Settlement Agreement, or to the attorneys' fees and expense 

reimbursement sought by Class Counsel in the amounts specified in the Notice, or to 

the award to the Class Representative as set forth in the Class Notice, must sign and 

file a written Objection no later than 45 days after the Notice Date. Any Settlement 

Class Member who submits a timely Request to Opt Out may not file Objections to 

the Settlement and shall be deemed to have waived any rights or benefits under this 

Settlement Agreement. 

 16. Any Objections must be filed with the Court and sent to Michael 

Aschenbrener, Edelson McGuire LLC, 350 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1300, Chicago, 

Illinois 60654, one of Class Counsel, and also to Defendant’s Counsel, Steven 

Kaufhold, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, 580 California Street, Suite 1500, 

San Francisco, CA 94104. 

 17. Settlement Class Members making Objections must set forth their full 

name, current address, and telephone number. Objecting Settlement Class Members 

must provide evidence of their membership in the Settlement Class, state in writing 

all Objections and the reasons therefor, provide copies of any documents relied upon 

for such Objections, and include a statement as to whether the Objector intends to 

appear at the Fairness Hearing and whether he or she is represented by separate legal 

counsel. Settlement Class Members who fail to file and serve timely written 

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objections in substantial compliance with the requirements of this paragraph shall be 

deemed to have waived any Objections and shall be foreclosed from making any 

Objections (whether by appeal or otherwise) to the Settlement Agreement or to any of 

the subjects listed in paragraph 22 below. 

Fairness Hearing

 18. The Fairness Hearing shall be held before this Court on November 18, 

2010 at 2:00 P.M. at the United States Courthouse, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, 

California 94612, to determine (a) whether the proposed settlement of the Action on 

the terms and conditions provided for in the Settlement Agreement is fair, reasonable 

and adequate and should be given final approval by the Court; (b) whether a judgment 

and order of dismissal with prejudice should be entered; (c) whether to approve the 

payment of attorneys’ fees and expenses to Class Counsel; and (d) whether to 

approve the payment of incentive awards to the Class Representative. The Court may 

adjourn the Fairness Hearing without further notice to members of the Settlement 

Class. 

Further Matters

 19. All further proceedings in the Action are ordered stayed until the Final 

Judgment and Order of Dismissal with Prejudice or termination of the Settlement 

Agreement, whichever occurs earlier, except for those matters necessary to obtain 

and/or effectuate final approval of the Settlement Agreement. 

 20. Settlement Class Members shall be bound by all determinations and 

judgments in the Action concerning the Action and/or Settlement Agreement, 

whether favorable or unfavorable. 

 21. If the Settlement Agreement is not approved by the Court in complete 

accordance with its terms, each party will have the option of having the Action revert to its 

status as if the Settlement Agreement had not been negotiated, made, or filed with the Court. 

Case 4:09-cv-05234-CW Document 31 Filed 07/30/10 Page 7 of 8
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In such event, the Parties will retain all rights as if the Settlement Agreement was never 

agreed upon. 

 22. In the event that the Settlement Agreement is terminated pursuant to the 

provisions of the Settlement Agreement, or for any reason whatsoever the approval of it does 

not become Final, then (i) the Settlement Agreement shall be null and void, including any 

provision related to the award of attorneys’ fees, and shall have no further force and effect 

with respect to any party in this Action, and shall not be used in this Action or in any other 

proceeding for any purpose; (ii) all negotiations, proceedings, documents prepared, and 

statements made in connection therewith shall be without prejudice to any person or party 

hereto, shall not be deemed or construed to be an admission by any party of any act, matter, 

or proposition, and shall not be used in any manner or for any purpose in any subsequent 

proceeding in this Action or in any other action in any court or other proceeding, provided, 

however, that the termination of the Settlement Agreement shall not shield from subsequent 

discovery any factual information provided in connection with the negotiation of this 

Settlement Agreement that would ordinarily be discoverable but for the attempted settlement; 

(iii) other than as expressly preserved by the Settlement Agreement in the event of its 

termination, the Settlement Agreement shall have no further force and effect with respect to 

any party and shall not be used in the Action or any other proceeding for any purpose; and 

(iv) any party may elect to move the Court pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph, and 

none of the non-moving Parties (or their counsel) shall oppose any such motion. 

It is so ordered, this 30th day of July, 2010. 

Enter: 

 _________________________________ 

 Honorable Claudia Wilken 

 United States District Court Judge 

 

Case 4:09-cv-05234-CW Document 31 Filed 07/30/10 Page 8 of 8