Free Motion for Leave to File - District Court of California - California

Case 4:07-cv-05101-SBA

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Exhibit A

Case 4:07-cv-05101-SBA

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REED R. KATHREIN (139304) HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP 715 Hearst Avenue, Suite 202 Berkeley, CA 94710 Telephone: (510) 725-3000 Facsimile: (510) 725-3001 [email protected] LEWIS S. KAHN KAHN GAUTHIER SWICK, LLC 650 Poydras Street, Suite 2150 New Orleans, LA 70130 Telephone: (504) 455-1400 Facsimile: (504) 455-1498 [email protected] Attorneys for Plaintiffs [Additional counsel listed on signature page] UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

12 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 13 OAKLAND DIVISION 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 BIKASH MOHAN MOHANTY, On Behalf of ) Himself and All Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR ) BASSAN-ESKENAZI, RAN OZ, FREDERICK ) BALL, GAL ISRAELY, DEAN GILBERT, ) KEN GOLDMAN, LLOYD CARNEY, BRUCE ) SACHS, ROBERT SACHS, GEOFFREY ) YANG, MORGAN STANLEY & CO., INC., ) MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & ) SMITH, INC., JEFFERIES & CO., INC., ) COWEN AND CO., INC., AND ) THINKEQUITY PARTNERS, LLC ) ) Defendants. ) ) Case No. 3:07-CV-05101-SBA CLASS ACTION GWYN JONES' SUR-REPLY TO THE SPHERA FUND'S REPLY TO HIS MOTION TO APPOINT LEAD PLAINTIFF

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Case 4:07-cv-05101-SBA

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DENNIS KOESTERER, On Behalf of Himself and ) All Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR BASSAN- ) ESKENAZI, FREDERICK A. BALL, RAN OZ, ) LLOYD CARNEY, DEAN GILBERT, KEN ) GOLDMAN, GAL ISRAELY, BRUCH SACHS, ) ROBERT SACHS, and GEOFFREY YANG ) ) Defendants. ) ) ABRENA WINSTON, Individually and On ) Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR ) BASSAN-ESKENAZI, RAN OZ, FREDERICK ) BALL, GAL ISRAELY, DEAN GILBERT, KEN ) GOLDMAN, LLOYD CARNEY, BRUCE ) SACHS, ROBERT SACHS, GEOFFREY ) YANG, MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER ) & SMITH, INC., MORGAN STANLEY & CO., ) INC., COWEN AND CO., JEFFERIES & CO., ) and THINKEQUITY PARTNERS, LLC ) ) Defendants. ) ) DONALD SMITH, On Behalf of Himself and All ) Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR ) BASSAN-ESKENAZI, and FREDERICK A. ) BALL ) ) Defendants. ) )

Case No. 3:07-CV-05168-MMC

Case No. 3:07-CV-05327-MMC

Case No. 3:07-CV-05361-SI

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Case 4:07-cv-05101-SBA

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WAYNE LUZON, On Behalf of Himself and All Others Similarly Situated,

) ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR BASSAN- ) ESKENAZI, RAN OZ, FREDERICK BALL, GAL ) ISRAELY, DEAN GILBERT, KEN GOLDMAN, ) LLOYD CARNEY, BRUCE SACHS, ROBERT ) SACHS, GEOFFREY YANG, MORGAN ) STANLEY & CO., INC., MERRILL LYNCH, ) PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH, INC., JEFFERIES & ) CO., INC., COWEN AND CO., INC., and ) THINKEQUITY PARTNERS, LLC ) ) Defendants. ) ) DEBRA L. BERNSTEIN, Individually and On ) Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR BASSAN- ) ESKENAZI, RAN OZ, FREDERICK A. BALL, ) GAL ISRAELY, DEAN GILBERT, KENNETH A. ) GOLDMAN, LLOYD CARNEY, BRUCE I. ) SACHS, ROBERT J. SACHS, GEOFFREY Y. ) YANG, MORGAN STANLEY & CO., ) INCORPORATED, JEFFERIES & COMPANY, ) INC., MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE FENNER & ) SMITH INCORPORATED, COWEN AND ) COMPANY, LLC and THINKEQUITY ) PARTNERS LLC, ) ) Defendants. ) ) EUGENE HAMMER, On Behalf of Himself and ) All Others Similarly Situated, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., AMIR BASSAN- ) ESKENAZI, FREDERICK A. BALL, RAN OZ, ) LLOYD CARNEY, DEAN GILBERT, KEN ) GOLDMAN, GAL ISRAELY, BRUCE SACHS, ) ROBERT SACHS, and GEOFFREY YANG ) ) Defendants. ) )
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Case No. 3:07-CV-05637-WHA

Case No. 3:07-CV-05819-CRB

Case No. 3:07-CV-05825-SI

Case 4:07-cv-05101-SBA

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JAMES WILTJER, On Behalf of Himself and All Others Similarly Situated, Plaintiff,

3 v. 4 BIGBAND NETWORKS, INC., et al. 5 Defendants. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Case No. 3:08-CV-00022-CRB

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Case 4:07-cv-05101-SBA

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For the first time in its reply papers, movant Sphera Fund argues that Gwyn Jones is barred from serving as Lead Plaintiff because he resides in a foreign country. Specifically, the Sphera Fund argues that Mr. Jones may be subject to a unique defense, claiming that the mere potential that Cypriot courts (where Mr. Jones is a resident) may not give res judicata effect to a judgment entered by this Court renders him inadequate. See Reply Memorandum of Law in Further Support of Motion of Sphera Fund for Appointment as Lead Plaintiff and Approval of Selection of Co-Lead Counsel, at 3 [Dkt. No. 39]. The Sphera Fund relies on Borochoff v. Glaxosmithkline, PLC, 246 F.R.D. 201 (S.D.N.Y. 2007), and In re Royal Ahold N.V. Sec. & ERISA Litig., 219 F.R.D. 343 (D. Md. 2003). Both of these cases are easily distinguishable from the instant litigation. Sphera Fund's argument fails for several reasons. First, Mr. Jones is a citizen of the United Kingdom. As noted in Glaxosmithkline, English courts are likely to give preclusive effect to judgment from a U.S. court. Glaxosmithklein, at 203-05 (appointing English foreign investor as Lead Plaintiff). Second, unlike the instant litigation, Glaxosmithkline and Royal Ahold involved foreign companies with foreign corporate headquarters. Glaxosmithkline, 246 F.R.D. at 202 (headquartered in the United Kingdom), and Royal Ahold, 219 F.R.D. at 352 (headquartered in the Netherlands). In stark contrast, Bigband Networks, Inc. is incorporated in Delaware and maintains its corporate headquarters in Redwood City, California. Bigband's common stock is traded on an American stock exchange and the alleged false and misleading representations are alleged to have emanated from within the United States. Third, in the recent case, Marsden v. Select Med. Corp., No. 04-cv-4020, 2007 U.S. Dist. Lexis 79450 *15-*17 (E.D. Pa. Oct. 26, 2007), which Sphera Fund relies upon, the court addressed the same challenge to a Lead Plaintiff movant. In the context of a motion for class certification, the Marsden court rejected this identical argument stating: Defendants argue that Capital Invest, an Austrian company, should not be certified because a favorable judgment for Defendants in this suit would not have preclusive effect in Austria; thus, in their view, all Austrians, including Capital Invest, should not be considered members of the class. (citation omitted). Unlike the cases cited by Defendants in support of this theory, the claim in this case is based on alleged misrepresentations made in the U.S. by an American company whose shares traded on an American stock exchange (the NYSE). (citations omitted). ... Such a speculative argument is simply not sufficient to support the exclusion of Capital Invest or an unknown number of foreign investors, especially when they are
GWYN JONES' SUR-REPLY TO THE SPHERA FUND'S REPLY TO HIS MOTION TO APPOINT LEAD PL. ­ NO. C 07-05101 SBA

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otherwise entitled to sue in U.S. courts. (citation omitted). Therefore we cannot find Capital Invest "inadequate" on this ground. Id. at *15-*17. The court certified the class and appointed Capital Invest as the class

3 representative. Id. at *31. 4 Likewise, this Court should reject the Sphera Fund's argument and grant Gwyn Jones' 5 motion as Lead Plaintiff. 6 Dated: January 25, 2008 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
GWYN JONES' SUR-REPLY TO THE SPHERA FUND'S REPLY TO HIS MOTION TO APPOINT LEAD PL. ­ NO. C 07-05101 SBA

HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO, LLP By: /s/ Reed R. Kathrein REED R. KATHREIN

715 Hearst Avenue, Suite 202 Berkeley, CA 94710 Telephone: (510) 725-3000 Facsimile: (510) 725-3001 [email protected] Steve W. Berman HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO, LLP 1301 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2900 Seattle, WA 98101 Telephone: (206) 623-7292 Facsimile: (206) 623-0594 [email protected] Lewis S. Kahn KAHN GAUTHIER SWICK, LLC 650 Poydras Street, Suite 2150 New Orleans, LA 70130 Telephone: (504) 455-1400 Facsimile: (504) 455-1498 [email protected] Kim E. Miller KAHN GAUTHIER SWICK, LLC 12 East 41st Street, 12th Floor New York, NY 10017 Telephone: (212) 696-3730 Facsimile: (504) 455-1498 [email protected] Attorneys for Lead Plaintiff Movant Gwyn Jones, and Proposed Co-Lead Counsel for the Class

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GWYN JONES' SUR-REPLY TO THE SPHERA

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on January 25, 2008 I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such filing to the e-mail addresses registered, as denoted on the attached Electronic Mail Notice List, and I hereby certify that I have mailed the foregoing document or paper via the United States Postal Service to the nonCM/ECF participants indicated on the attached Manual Notice List.

/s/ Reed R. Kathrein REED R. KATHREIN

FUND'S REPLY TO HIS MOTION TO APPOINT LEAD PL. ­ NO. C 07-05101 SBA

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