The impasse between Cablevision and Fox over retransmission consent was bound to produce a class-action lawsuit. A group of New York customers filed one Thursday in federal court in New York, arguing that the cable company has an obligation to give its customers rebates for depriving them of Fox News, Glee, House, The Simpsons, New York Giants football, the Major League Baseball postseason and other content. The plaintiffs are asking for about $450 million in damages, which is about the equivalent of one month's cable bill for the company's 3 million subscribers. Here's the complaint. This isn't the first time that Cablevision has faced a class action after channels were pulled. A suit was filed this year after HGTV and Food Network were removed from the dial, but it went nowhere because Cablevision soon came to an agreement that restored service. In that lawsuit, plaintiffs argued that Cablevision had breached its contract with customers by making a "material change" of its service. |