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This dismissal of the South Broward lawsuit follows the other recentlydisclosed tentative settlement reached on or about April 21, 2008 regardingall individual and class claims related to the consolidated medicaltranscriptionists' putative class action lawsuit in exchange for payment byMedQuist of $1.5 million plus certain injunctive relief. The consummation ofthese two settlements will result in the final resolution of all class actionlitigation matters related to (i) the allegations raised by a company employeein November 2003 that the company had engaged in improper billing practices,(ii) the company's public disclosure of those allegations and (iii) thecompany's July 2004 public disclosure of certain findings from the independentreview (the "Billing Review") of the allegations that was undertaken by thecompany's board of directors. The previously disclosed Securities and ExchangeCommission ("SEC") and Department of Justice ("DOJ") investigations remainongoing and the company continues to fully cooperate with both investigations.
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The company and its interim president and chief executive officer, HowardS. Hoffmann of Nightingale Associates, LLC, announced that Mr. Hoffmann'sservice as the company's interim president and chief executive officer, andthe related engagement of Nightingale, terminated consensually on June 10,2008. Accordingly, the company's board of directors has appointed Mark Ivie,the company's chief technology officer, to serve as the interim chiefexecutive officer and president, effective as of June 11, 2008. Mr. Ivie willalso continue to serve as the chief technology officer.
"Howard Hoffmann was appointed as MedQuist's interim CEO, and subsequentlyPresident, with a clear mission to improve the company's business practices,including its billing practices, and to bring the company current in its SECfilings," stated Gregory M. Sebasky, chairman of the board of directors. "Hehas been successful on these fronts, including effectively resolving allissues related to the material customer, employee and shareholder litigationmatters arising from the Billing Review, as well as leading the companythrough the strategic evaluation process and implementing a variety ofoperational turnaround initiatives that have resulted in improved margins andcustomer satisfaction. In addition, he has led the company in fullycooperating with the investigations by the SEC and DOJ relating to the BillingReview, and we are optimistic that both matters are nearing conclusion. Wethank Howard for his contributions and achievements in all of thes