The Hollywood Reporter said that the lawsuit filed by hundreds of victims of private investigator Anthony Pellicano has reached a settlement. Pellicano gained notoriety for his illegal wiretapping activities. AT&T is expected to shell out over a million dollars for the misconduct of its own employees who have conspired with Pellicano to wiretap several phones, THR said.
Pellicano, who is known as an expensive investigator-for-hire by Hollywood celebrities as he gets the job done, was found guilty of wiretapping and conspiracy to monitor phones of people, some who are also celebrities, to aid him in his cases. The New York Times said Pellicano was convicted of all charges filed against him in the District Federal Court in Los Angeles.
In June 2013, THR said the plaintiffs have submitted a preliminary settlement over their claims that several rogue employees of AT&T's Pacific Bell aided Pellicano in obtaining information for his private investigations through illegal wiretapping.
THR explained that the financial claims by the plaintiffs actually saved AT&T $45,000 from the original $1.5 million under the new arrangement, but the cap was said to have been raised from $2,500 per victim to $4,000.
Aside from the five law firms who have represented the class of plaintiffs in the reward, the individuals who have spoken with journalist Anita Busch around late 2002 will also receive rewards from the settlement as California law requires both parties to acquire consent to a recording.
THR said that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit included several individuals who are related to Pellicano's famous investigations. Some of them are people who spoke over with Monika Zsibrita, the model who sought legal action against comedian Chris Rock for forced sexual advances; people who spoke over the phone with editor Michael Davis Sapir over allegations that actor Tom Cruise had him under surveillance, among many others.
