Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Shelby and Unique Performance
13 12월 2005 - 11:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United States
District Court Judge S. James Otero granted a Summary Judgment on
November 15, 2005, bringing an end to the lawsuit filed by Denise
Halicki and some of her business entities against Unique Motorcars,
the parent company of Unique Performance, Carroll Shelby Licensing,
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International,
Inc. (OTC:CSBI), and Carroll Shelby. Unique Performance
manufactures Shelby continuation G.T.500E and G.T.350SR cars at
their state-of-the-art facility in North Texas. "We feel that we
have been vindicated by the court's decision and are glad to have
this behind us," said Carroll Shelby, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Shelby Automobiles Inc. The lawsuit claimed that Ms.
Halicki, not Shelby, owned the trademark for "Eleanor(R)" as well
as other trademarks. Judge Otero agreed that none of the claims
made by Ms. Halicki against Unique Motorcars, or Shelby, including
her claims of copyright and trademark infringement, were supported
by the evidence. The Court also agreed that none of her legal
theories were supportable and that she has no rights with respect
to the automobiles built by Unique under license from Shelby,
including the G.T.500E "Eleanor(R)" automobile. "We're pleased that
the court agreed that there was no merit to Ms. Halicki's claims,"
stated Douglas Hasty, President of Unique Performance. "Everyone on
our team is satisfied with the outcome. We'll continue to build
genuine Shelby automobiles, as we have for years, without having to
divert our attention to the defense of Ms. Halicki's false
accusations of wrongdoing." Unique's trial attorney, Danny T.
Morin, a partner at Parker Mills & Patel LLP, Los Angeles,
Calif., was impressed with the depth of the analysis of Judge
Otero's 28 page Order granting Unique Performance's Motion for
Summary Judgment in its entirety. "This is a perfect example of how
well our court system can work if you are fortunate enough to have
a thorough jurist," added Mr. Morin. "The Court took the time to
analyze and apply the law to the undisputed facts, saving untold
hours and dollars on a matter that cried out for dismissal on a
summary basis, without the need for trial." "We never understood
how or why Ms. Halicki thought she had legal claims against Shelby
or Unique, and we're pleased that Judge Otero has put an end to
this," said M. Neil Cummings, Counsel for Carroll Shelby and
Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc. About Carroll Shelby International,
Inc. (OTC:CSBI) Carroll Shelby International, Inc. is the parent
company of Carroll Shelby Licensing and Shelby Automobiles. Carroll
Shelby Licensing Inc. Carroll Shelby Licensing, founded in 1988, is
the exclusive holder of automotive manufacturer and entrepreneur
Carroll Shelby's trademarks and vehicle design rights, which
include some of the world's most famous muscle cars and high-
performance vehicles. It also holds trademark rights for
Shelby-branded apparel, accessories and collectibles. For
additional information, call 310-914-1843 or visit
www.carrollshelbyinternational.com or www.carrollshelby.com. Safe
Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995 Certain statements in this news release may contain
forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under
the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by
those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact,
included in this release, including, without limitation, statements
regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are
forward- looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be
accurate and actual results and future events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such statements. About Unique
Performance, Inc. Douglas Hasty, Chris Layne and Richard Kearby
founded Unique Performance to create performance vehicles,
including the Shelby continuation cars and limited edition American
muscle cars designed by Chip Foose. Adept in all aspects of
fabrication, restoration, racing preparation and development, the
company's team has created award-winning vehicles for customers
worldwide. In 2004, the company founded Unique Performance
Products, which offers high performance automotive parts for 1960s
era muscle cars. Additional information about Unique Performance,
products and services is available at www.uniqueperformance.com.
DATASOURCE: Caroll Shelby International, Inc. CONTACT: Jim Guthrie
of JMPR, Inc, +1-818-992-4353, , for Caroll Shelby International,
Inc. Web site: http://www.carrollshelbyinternational.com/
http://www.carrollshelby.com/ http://www.uniqueperformance.com/
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