Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Three Term Paper Websites in Pro Bono Representation
CHICAGO (October 12, 2006) — Today, the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery filed a putative class action lawsuit in the Southern District of Illinois on behalf of named plaintiffs Chad Weidner, a lecturer in English at Roosevelt Academy in the Netherlands, and his wife, Karolien Walravens. They allege that their jointly-authored manuscript, created to fulfill requirements of an undergraduate literature course, was posted on the internet without attribution or permission by three term paper websites: doingmyhomework.com, freeforessays.com, and freefortermpapers.com. These websites are registered to defendants Rusty Carroll and/or R2C2, Inc. The complaint alleges that the named plaintiffs learned of the postings when they entered short excerpts from their manuscript into internet search engines and found links to the three websites.
The complaint alleges that the unauthorized use and posting on the defendants' Web sites are unlawful, including pursuant to the federal Copyright and Lanham Acts and Illinois unfair competition laws. The complaint seeks injunctive relief and damages.
The McDermott team, based in Washington, D.C., is representing the named plaintiffs pro bono. Doug Teasdale of Teasdale, Murphy & O'Grady, LLP in St. Louis, Missouri, serves as local counsel on a pro bono basis.
Numbering more than 1000 lawyers, McDermott is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. The people of McDermott are committed to giving back to the communities where they work and live. The Firm recognizes and appreciates the need to give back to the communities of which it is a part, assisting those who are unable to afford legal services. We strongly encourage and commend our lawyers and staff to participate in pro bono activities, volunteer services and charitable activities.
