A lawsuit alleging that AT&T’s cell phone customers received deteriorated service after the company’s wireless division was sold to Cingular Wireless can proceed as a class action, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. At issue was a clause in old Cingular contracts that forced customers to litigate their grievances independently, instead of grouping together for a class-action lawsuit. A three-judge panel in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Friday that the contract was a violation of California law.
– Associated Press