Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 3, 2003
SRI/Surgical Express Inc. of Tampa boasted in a press release last week that it had settled all outstanding shareholder lawsuits stemming from a restatement of earnings in late 2001.
While the release said the total settlement would be covered by SRI's insurers, it left out one teensy little detail: the amount of the agreement.
Two days later, after newspapers had reported SRI's skimpy announcement, the company filed a more complete disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SRI, which supplies hospitals with surgical supplies, will pay $1.9-million to settle the lawsuits while acknowledging no wrongdoing.
Still unknown: what chunk of that $1.9-million will go to shareholders' lawyers. But people who bought SRI's stock between March 30, 2001, and April 1, 2002, might look for a few pennies in the mail.