WYN » Topics » Legal-Cendants Hospitality Services (including Timeshare Resorts) Businesses

This excerpt taken from the WYN 8-K filed Jul 19, 2006.

Legal—Cendant’s Hospitality Services (including Timeshare Resorts) Businesses

The following litigation relates to Cendant’s Hospitality Services (including Timeshare Resorts) businesses, and pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, we have agreed to be responsible for all of the related costs and expenses.

Wendell and Sandra Grimes, et al. v. Fairfield Resorts, Inc., FairShare Vacation Owners Association, et al., No 6:05-CV-1061-ORL-22JGG (M.D. Fla.). This class action complaint was filed on July 19, 2005. It alleges, under a variety of legal theories, that the defendants violated their duties to the members of FairShare Plus through self-serving changes to the reservation and availability policies (including an affiliation with RCI), which diminished the value of the vacation ownership interests purchased by the members and rendered it more difficult for members to obtain reservations at their home resort. The complaint does not seek monetary damages in a specified amount, nor does it specify the form of injunctive or declaratory relief sought. Plaintiffs filed their motion for class certification on October 18, 2005, and defendants submitted their opposition on January 18, 2006. On April 26, 2006, the court heard oral argument but did not rule on the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. On April 27, 2006, the court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. On May 11, 2006, plaintiffs filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit a petition for an interlocutory review of the District Court’s April 27 order denying class certification. On May 15, 2006, the District Court ordered plaintiffs to file not later than May 31, 2006, an amended complaint which omits class action allegations. On or about May 31, 2006, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint omitting the class action allegations. On June 7, 2006, defendants moved to dismiss the amended complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. On June 21, 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit denied the plaintiff’s petition for an interlocutory review of the District Court’s April 27 order.

Source v. Cendant Corporation, No. 2-05CV-347 (E.D. Tex.). Source, Inc., which we refer to as Source, filed suit against Cendant on July 28, 2005. Source alleges infringement of four patents related to Source’s “centralized consumer cash value accumulation system for multiple merchants.” Source alleges that Cendant Hotel Group, Inc.’s TripRewards program infringes upon Source’s guest loyalty system. Source seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief. While the parties have discussed a nuisance value settlement, Cendant has filed an answer and motion to stay the litigation pending reexamination of two of the patents by the Patent and Trademark Office. The motion for stay was granted, and the matter was stayed until April 2006. We applied for an extension of that stay, which Source opposed. The Court has lifted the stay and the parties will proceed with discovery.

In Re: Resort Condominiums International, LLC and RCI Canada, Inc., Nos. 040895898P1-01-001, 040895898P1-01-002, 040895898P1-01—003, 040895898P1-01—004, 040897266P1-06-001, 040897266P1-05-001 (Edmonton Provincial Court), Case Nos. 040895104P1-01-001, 040895104P1-01-002, 040895104P1-01-003, 040895104P1-01-004, 040895104P1-01-005, 040895104P1-01-006 (Canmore Provincial Court), Nos. 040897167P1-01-001, 04897167P1-02-001 (Calgary Provincial Court). Companion complaints were filed against Resort Condominium International, LLC and RCI Canada, Inc. in three Alberta jurisdictions on August 4, 2004 alleging that the RCI Points program is an unlicensed travel club and the unregistered sales of memberships in the program is a regulatory violation of the Alberta Fair Trading Act. The complaints seek statutory penalties. RCI’s defense is premised upon the fact that the RCI Points program simply provides a system to use accommodations currently owned by the vacation ownership consumer and is not a travel club, as defined in the statute, as it does not involve the future purchase of accommodations. The trial date has been set for February 26, 2007.

 

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Additionally, from time to time, we are involved in certain claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of our business, including: for our lodging business, (i) breach of contract, fraud and bad faith claims between franchisors and franchisees in connection with franchise agreements and with owners in connection with management contracts and (ii) negligence claims asserted in connection with acts or occurrences at franchised or managed properties; for our vacation exchange and rental business, (i) breach of contract claims by both affiliates and members in connection with their respective agreements and (ii) negligence claims by guests for alleged injuries sustained at resorts; for our vacation ownership business, (i) breach of contract, conflict of interest, fraud and consumer protection act claims by property owners’ associations, owners and prospective owners in connection with the sale of vacation ownership interests or the management of vacation ownership resorts, (ii) construction defect claims relating to vacation ownership units or resorts and (iii) negligence claims by guests for alleged injuries sustained at vacation ownership units or resorts; and for each of our businesses, (i) bankruptcy proceedings involving efforts to collect receivables from a debtor in bankruptcy and (ii) employment matters involving claims of discrimination and wage and hours claims. Although the results of such claims and legal actions cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe based on information currently available to us that the final outcome of these proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Any adverse outcome of such claims and legal actions, however, could have a material effect on our results of operations.

We cannot give any assurance as to the final outcome or resolution of these unresolved proceedings. An adverse outcome from certain unresolved proceedings could be material with respect to earnings in any given reporting period. However, we do not believe that the impact of such unresolved proceedings should result in a material liability to us in relation to our consolidated financial position or liquidity.

In addition, pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, we agreed to be responsible for 37.5% (or 30% if the sale of Travelport is not completed) of certain contingent and other corporate liabilities (and related costs and expenses) related to Cendant litigation. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Litigation For Which We Have Assumed Liability Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement.”

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