Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 4, 1995 TAG: 9508040032
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
TAMPA, Fla. - Sears Tire and Auto Centers defrauded customers who bought tire balancing service out of $100 million - about a quarter of total sales for the service between 1989 and 1994, according to a suit.
A class action lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Tampa against Sears, Roebuck and Co., alleges widespread fraud in the sale of tire balancing services.
Sears sold about 9 million tires annually during that five-year period and sold a $12.50 tire balancing service known as AccuBalance.
The company failed to perform the service at least 30 percent of the time, according to Kevin Twigg, of Sarasota, Fla., who bought four tires from Sears with the AccuBalance service in late 1991.
The suit claims Sears' actions violate federal racketeering laws and constitute fraud and illegal conversion of customers money. In addition to the estimated $100 million in sales proceeds, the suit seeks damages. The company has not replied to the charges.
-Associated Press
15 women win `indignities' award
NEW YORK - Fifteen women who accused their former boss of lewd behavior, including grabbing their breasts and buttocks, going to the bathroom with the door open and conducting business with his fly down, will share a $1.2 million settlement, more than twice the biggest previous settlement ever obtained by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a sexual harassment case.
``These women don't need to suffer these kinds of indignities just to collect a paycheck,'' said Gilbert Casellas, chairman of the EEOC, which announced the settlement Thursday.
The women had worked as secretaries or executive assistants for Dan Wassong, 64, chief executive of Del Laboratories of Farmingdale. The Long Island cosmetics and pharmaceutical maker is best known for its Sally Hansen nail products and Orajel painkilling ointment.
Del denied Wassong had ever behaved inappropriately. Mark Dichter, the company's lawyer, said Del decided to settle because it was cheaper and faster than going to trial.
Robert Lipmann, a lawyer who represented three of the women, said the case was especially significant because ``there were never any requests for sexual favors. This shows that sexual harassment includes making women feel small.''
-Associated Press
Mortgage rates highest since May
WASHINGTON - Thirty-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 7.82 percent this week, up from 7.79 percent last week, according to a national survey released Thursday by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.
It was the highest since May 25, when the average was 7.85 percent. The average hit a 25-year low of 6.74 percent in October 1993.
On one-year adjustable-rate mortgages, lenders were asking an average initial rate of 5.89 percent, up from 5.86 percent last week.
Fifteen-year mortgages, a popular option for those refinancing mortgages, averaged 7.31 percent this week, up from 7.27 percent a week earlier.
-Associated Press
by CNB