Freed & Weiss is currently lead counsel on a precedent setting class action lawsuit against Pella Windows. Pella’s ProLine windows contain an alleged defect, says John Black, which allows water to rot the window from inside out. Due to the Pella window design, the water seepage and ensuing wood rot are concealed by an aluminum cladding, according to John Black.

On May 20, 2010, John Black and Freed & Weiss won a major victory for their clients as the Federal Appellate Court in Chicago, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, affirmed the class certification granted by Federal District Judge James B. Zagel. The Appellate Court opinion is published at 606 F.3d 391 (7th Cir. 2010). “That was a great step of a long court process in our attempt to recover for homeowners their loss and damages,” says John Black. The ProLine series of windows, explains John Black, the “250 Series” and “450 Series” were all covered by the court’s orders.

There are many reports on the Internet about this class action suit, states John Black. One such story, says John Black, suggests that when Pella discovered the defective aluminum cladding they responded by halting further production of the faulty product. Since Pella no longer manufactured the window, alleges the writer, they no longer upheld or recognized the warranty. When asked, John Black would not confirm or deny the validity of this account.

According to John Black, stories of people personally impacted by this faulty product abound on the Internet as well. In some cases, says John Black, homeowners opened their windows for springtime air to find crumbling window ledges. With further investigation, continues John Black, the shocked homeowner would find rotting wood frames.

The current suit, adds John Black, has now been taken by Pella to the United States Supreme Court. John Black says that Freed & Weiss is waiting to see if the Court will review the case. “We filed our brief in mid December and we are now all in the same boat,” John Black comments, comparing counsel for both Pella and the plaintiffs. “We are waiting,” adds John Black, “to see whether the Court will review the case.” John Black also points out that with respect to class certification this is Pella’s last option in the court system prior to a trial.

John Black said Freed & Weiss continues to investigate Pella’s Architect and Designer Series windows. This series, according to John Black, was part of the original lawsuit. For more information, contact the law firm of Freed & Weiss at http://freedweiss.com.

About John Black

John Black believes that companies have the obligation to treat fairly, serve and protect their customers. When they do not, John Black has served successfully as a voice for those who have been wronged. A founding partner of Freed & Weiss, John Black has been lead and co-lead counsel on many high profile class action suits totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for clients.

Educated at Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, John Black was a member of the Indiana Law Journal and the honorary society of the Order of COIF, graduating magna cum laude. As a member of the Northern District Trial Bar, John Black is admitted to general legal practice in the State of Illinois, United States District Courts for Northern and Southern Illinois and United States District Court of Eastern Michigan. As well, John Black has been admitted to practice pro hac vice in several federal courts including New Jersey, Idaho, New Mexico, California, and Florida. Considered an expert in the field, John Black has litigated numerous class action suits in state and federal courts.

The published opinions of John Black are too numerous to enumerate. Included in the list are Harper v. LG Electronics USA, Inc., Waudby v. Verizon Wireless Services LLC, Kinkel v. Cingular Wireless, Carey v. Kerr McGee Chemical Company and Pella Corp. v. Saltzman. Under the leadership of John Black, Freed & Weiss have recovered over $230 million dollars for clients in class action and MDL litigation. Many of theses cases included Fortune 500 companies with names such as Best Buy, AOL, Chase and Verizon.

John Black and Freed & Weiss have been the forefront leaders of raising awareness concerning fraudulent reimbursement practices of insurance companies. Through the means of class action, John Black obtained millions of dollars in relief for clients of auto insurers. As well, under the oversight of John Black, Freed & Weiss have fought to protect medical providers against fraudulent out of network reductions. Dedicated to the interests of medical professionals and their ability to provide quality healthcare, John Black continues with pending litigation against Aetna, Cigna, and WellPoint.

The April 2003 edition of National Law Journal featured John Black in their article, “Class Actions: The Battle Heats Up.” The National Law Journal published a sequel to the April article with another feature on the topic of Illinois class action suits. John Black has been an honored guest lecturer at Chicago-Kent College of Law and the Chicago School of Law at Loyola University.

Prior to being a founding partner of Freed & Weiss, John Black practiced law in Seattle, Washington. While working in Seattle, for then Hagens & Berman, his exclusive focus was on plaintiff consumer class action cases.

John Black resides with his wife of 13 years, Jamie. In addition to being a husband, and father of two boys, he enjoys traveling, snorkeling, gardening, photography (many of his photos can be viewed at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/paul-weiss.html) and arcade gaming.

To contact John Black at Freed & Weiss, or to speak with an attorney at Freed & Weiss, visit their website online at http://freedweiss.com or call 866-779-9610.