IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 7, 1999 (PRIMEZONE) -- 2TheMart.com, Inc. (OTCBB:TMRTE) today announced it has retained Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger to vigorously defend a recent class action shareholder suit filed against it.
The company said that "The charging allegations in the Complaint are untrue and we are confident that we will be vindicated. We are pleased to have retained Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger, one of the nation's premier law firms, to lead our defense. We look forward to our day in court."
Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger is a full business law firm, with more than 100 attorneys. The firm has the depth of experience and the legal talent to handle national and international legal needs and has been serving the interests of the business community for 50 years.
Keith B. Bardellini will lead the Buchalter litigation team. Mr. Bardellini is a business litigator whose recent cases include Access Health Net v. Levy et al., a class action shareholder suit, where he served as defense counsel for the Chairman and chief executive officer and the largest investor and settled the case with no contribution from his clients.
Mr. Bardellini received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974, and a J.D. in 1977 from Hastings College of Law. He is admitted to the State Bar of California, and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Mr. Bardellini has been a faculty member of the Practicing Law Institute and was a Governor's Appointee to the Commission on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention from 1979 to 1983.
Mark A. Bonenfant, who will work with Mr. Bardellini, specializes in corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate and financing matters. Mr. Bonenfant served as former Special Counsel with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. (1980-1982), and former Deputy Legislative Counsel with the California Office of Legislative Counsel (1978-1980).
Mr. Bonenfant received his J.D., Cum Laude, in 1978 from University of San Diego Law School, where he served on the San Diego Law Review editorial board. He also received an LL.M. in Taxation in 1982 from Georgetown University. Mr. Bonenfant is a member of the California Bar Association and a member of the State Bar Corporation Committee. He is also a member of the American Bar Association Committee on Federal Securities Law and its committee on Negotiated Acquisitions and Mergers.
Mr. Bonenfant is a frequent lecturer on securities and corporation law issues for the California Continuing Education of the Bar, University of California, Los Angeles Extension Program, California Business Law Institute and Executive Enterprises, Inc. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Loyola School of Law.
2TheMart.com is an Internet e-commerce company founded in January 1999.