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Frequently Asked Questions and
Answers
The SEC and Class Actions Settlements with HealthSouth
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What are the details of the HealthSouth Securities
Settlement Funds?
Questions about Eligibility for Cash Payments and Other
Benefits
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Who is eligible to receive a payment?
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What is the process to apply for a payment from the
Settlement Funds?
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Must I have suffered some type of loss on my
investment(s) to receive settlement benefits?
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Can I receive benefits from the SEC settlement as
well as the Stockholder and Bondholder class actions?
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I inherited (or received as a gift) HealthSouth
securities. Am I eligible?
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How will the payments in the settlement funds be
allocated?
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How will the money from the SEC settlement be
allocated?
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I received a determination that my claim is
ineligible for payment. If I disagree with my determination, what can I do?
Questions about the Claim Form
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When was the deadline to submit the Claim Form?
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What was required in addition to the Claim Form?
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Did all co-owners need to sign the form?
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Will the information I submitted be kept
confidential?
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Why did the Claim Form ask for my email address?
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I purchased or acquired HealthSouth securities, but
they were held in my broker's name. Who should have completed the Claim Form?
After You Submit Your Claim Form
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Will I be notified if my Claim Form is rejected?
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What if my address changes after I submitted my
Claim Form?
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What do I need to do to request a review of the
determination that my claim is ineligible for payment?
Effect of Submitting a Claim
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Did I give up any legal rights by submitting a Claim
Form?
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What if I did not submit a Claim Form?
Your Legal Representation
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Do I have a lawyer in the HealthSouth Settlements?
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How will the attorneys be paid?
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When and where was the hearing held?
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What if I disagree with the proposed Plan of
Allocation or the request for attorneys' fees in the class action?
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How do I object to the Plans of Allocation or the
request for attorneys' fees?
Questions about Payment
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When will I receive my payment?
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Will I have to pay taxes on my payment?
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Will I receive a 1099 form?
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Why did I receive two checks?
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How long do I have to cash my check(s)?
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Why are the amounts different on the two checks I
received?
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How can I have my check(s) reissued in the correct
name?
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I received a payment but wish to ascertain whether
it is accurate, what can I do?
-
What if I have a question about my payment(s)?
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What if I disagree with the amount of my payment(s)?
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What was the pro rata factor used to calculate my
SEC payment?
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What was the pro rata factor used to calculate my
consolidated class actions payment?
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I have not received my payment. What should I do?
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I was told my claim was not being paid because the
calculated payment was less than $10. Why was my claim not paid?
Getting More Information
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I still have questions. Whom may I contact?
The SEC and Class Actions Settlements with
HealthSouth
1. What are the details of the HealthSouth
Securities Settlement Funds?
The HealthSouth Securities Settlement Funds were created by the
settlement of separate cases against HealthSouth Corporation brought by the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and plaintiffs in class actions
in U.S. District Court. The lawsuits claim that HealthSouth and others provided
investors with false and misleading financial information that artificially
inflated the value of HealthSouth securities.
On behalf of HealthSouth investors in the class actions, the Court has approved
a settlement valued at the time it was reached at approximately $445 million
(in cash and securities). The Court approved the consolidated class actions
settlement on January 11, 2007. An appeal of the class action settlement was
filed by a class member and denied by the court of appeals on June 17, 2009. No
further appeals have been filed. A separate $100 million fund was approved by
the Court overseeing the SEC case on April 12, 2006. Notice of the settlements
and claim packets were mailed on November 1, 2007 to known potential claimants.
Claim forms were also available on this website. The deadline to file a claim
for payment from the funds was February 28, 2008.
The Court overseeing the HealthSouth Securities Settlement distributions has
given approval to distribute checks to valid claims eligible for payment.
Checks began mailing on July 23, 2010.
Francis E. McGovern is the court appointed Distribution Agent for the SEC. Rust
Consulting is the court appointed third-party Claims Administrator for
processing claims, answering questions, and issuing payments and other
benefits.
Further information is available from the Case Documents and the Background on
the cases page on this site.
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Eligibility for Cash Payments and Other Benefits
2. Who is eligible to receive a
payment?
Investors who sustained net losses on purchases and other
acquisitions of HealthSouth securities during the periods covered by the
settlements, and who filed valid claims by the deadline are eligible to receive
a payment. You must have sustained losses on your investments to qualify for a
payment.
Please see the Plans of Allocation and Clarifications for information about the
periods covered by the settlements and other eligibility criteria.
You are a member of the Stockholder Class in the class actions if you purchased
or otherwise acquired the stock or options of HealthSouth between April 24,
1997 and March 18, 2003, including HealthSouth securities received in exchange
for the stock or options of certain companies that were acquired by
HealthSouth, and you did not request exclusion.
You are a member of the Bondholder Class in the class actions if you purchased
or otherwise acquired HealthSouth bonds, notes or other debt instruments
between March 31, 1998 and March 18, 2003, and you did not request exclusion.
Claimants may be entitled to receive money or benefits from the SEC Settlement
or the class actions, or both. Only one Claim Form was required to file a claim
in both settlements.
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3. What is the process to apply for
a payment from the Settlement Funds?
You must have completed a proof of claim form to be eligible for
a payment. However, the deadline for submitting a claim was February 28, 2008.
Late claims were processed through February 1, 2010. In accordance with Court
Orders, claims filed after February 1, 2010 will not be accepted for any
reason.
If you have any questions about the deadline for filing, or correspondence you
have received recently from the Claims Administrator, please contact the Claims
Administrator by calling 1-888-952-9108 toll-free or by sending an email to
mail@HLSSettlement.com.
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4. Must I have suffered some type of
loss on my investment(s) to receive settlement benefits?
Yes. Payments will be based upon losses on HealthSouth
securities investments. Your losses on HealthSouth securities transactions will
figure into your eligibility for settlement benefits as follows:
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Awards from the SEC settlement will vary; there will be a baseline award for
all eligible investors, but the maximum amount you can receive is your actual
losses on HealthSouth securities, i.e., the difference between the purchase
price and the sale price of those securities.
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You will receive benefits (cash and/or otherwise) from the Stockholder and
Bondholder class actions settlement only if you had a net loss after all
profits from transactions in HealthSouth securities are subtracted from all
losses on your HealthSouth transactions.
No payments will be made on claims under $10 after aggregation
across claims for the purpose of meeting the floor of $10. To obtain more
detailed information on the Plans of Allocation, please
click here.
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5. Can I receive benefits from
the SEC settlement as well as the Stockholder and Bondholder class actions?
Yes, if you submitted a valid, timely Claim Form and provided
copies of any required supporting documentation, you will receive benefits from
all the settlements for which you qualify, unless you excluded yourself from
the class actions settlement. If you submitted a valid, timely exclusion form
for the class actions settlement, you are only eligible to participate in the
SEC settlement. Either way, only one Claim Form is required to apply for a
payment from the HealthSouth Securities Settlement Funds.
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6. I inherited (or received as a
gift) HealthSouth securities. Am I eligible?
Yes. If you obtained HealthSouth securities that were originally
purchased or otherwise acquired during the qualifying period by someone else,
and you have the authority to act on behalf of these securities, you may
qualify for a claim. As outlined in Question #2 ("Who is
eligible to receive a payment?") above, qualifying securities are
HealthSouth common stock, bonds, and options.
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7. How will the payments in the
class actions settlement be allocated?
Counsel for the Stockholder and Bondholder Classes in the class
actions have proposed a Plan of Allocation that was approved by the Court
overseeing the class actions. That Plan provides that a portion of the
Settlement Fund (less Court-awarded attorneys' fees and costs) will be
allocated to the Bondholder Class by multiplying the fund by a percentage equal
to: (a) the total dollar value of all eligible Bondholder Class claims divided
by the total dollar value of all eligible Bondholder and Stockholder Class
claims, plus (b) 500 basis points.
The remainder will be allocated to the Stockholder Class, of which (a) $4.45
million will be allocated to claims related solely to claims relating to
HealthSouth options, (b) $22.5 million will be allocated solely to claims for
the acquisition of HealthSouth stock and/or options in HealthSouth's mergers
with Horizon/CMS, The Company Doctor, or National Surgery Centers (the "merger
subclasses"), and (c) the balance will be allocated pro-rata among all
claimants who purchased or otherwise acquired HealthSouth stock, including the
merger subclasses.
Payment amounts to Class Members will be determined based on a formula that
considers various factors, including the numbers of shares or bonds purchased,
and the timing of the purchases and sales. You can
click here to read the entire Plan of Allocation in Appendix I to the
Notice.
However, please remember that claimants are eligible to receive a payment only
if they submitted a valid claim and had a net loss, after all profits from
transactions in HealthSouth securities are subtracted from all losses on your
HealthSouth transactions.
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8. How will the money from the SEC
settlement be allocated?
The Court has approved a Plan of Allocation for the $100 million to eligible
investors in the SEC settlement. If you are eligible, the amount of your
payment will be calculated through a formula that applies a baseline
compensation amount to each HealthSouth stock or bond you purchased between
August 14, 1996 and March 18, 2003 that you still held on September 29, 1998,
August 26, 2002 and/or March 18, 2003. The baseline compensation amounts vary,
depending on when you purchased and sold or held the securities. You can
click here to review the baseline compensation calculations by reading
the SEC settlement Plan of Allocation and Clarifications.
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9. I received a determination that my claim
is ineligible for payment. If I disagree with my determination, what
can I do?
Both the SEC case and the consolidated class actions provide for a review of the
determination with respect to your claim. If you believe there was an error in
determining your claim's eligibility, please submit your written request for
review, including any documentation to support your request, to the Claims
Administrator. The address is:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement
201 S. Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3
P.O. Box 2355
Faribault, MN 55021-9055
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Questions About the Claim Form
10. When was the deadline to
submit the Claim Form?
The deadline for submitting a claim was February 28, 2008. Late claims were
processed through February 1, 2010. In accordance with Court Orders, claims
filed after February 1, 2010 will not be accepted for any reason.
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11. What was required in
addition to the Claim Form?
Pre-printed Claim Forms did not require documentation, unless
you changed information printed on the form.
If you did not receive a pre-printed Claim Form, your claim required
documentation for the transactions you listed on your Claim Form. Acceptable
documentation included:
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Monthly stock brokerage or other investment account statements;
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Trade confirmation slips;
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A signed letter from your broker on firm letterhead verifying the information
you are providing;
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A Deposit or Escrow Receipt showing your holdings;
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HealthSouth transaction information on Schedule D forms and on Forms 1099-B;
and/or
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Other equivalent proof of your transactions.
Each document should have been clearly identified with your name
and the account number it pertained to.
If you have any questions, please call 1-888-952-9108.
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12. Did all co-owners need to sign
the form?
Yes. All co-owners or their legal representatives should have
signed the Claim Form.
Payments on qualifying claims will be mailed to the names and address indicated
on the Claim Form. Update your address by calling 1-888-952-9108, or by writing
to:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement
201 S. Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3
P.O. Box 2355
Faribault, MN 55021-9055
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13. Will the information I
submitted be kept confidential?
Yes. Claim Forms and supporting documentation will be used only
to process claims.
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14. Why did the Claim Form ask for
my email address?
The Claims Administrator may need to contact you for further
information in order to process your claim. Providing your email address allows
the Claims Administrator to contact you promptly and to process your claim and
payment more quickly.
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15. I purchased or acquired
HealthSouth securities, but they were held in my broker's name. Who should
complete the Claim Form?
You should. The beneficial owner of the securities should
complete the Claim Form. If you purchased the securities but they were
registered in your broker's name, you are the beneficial owner.
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After You Submit Your Claim Form
16. Will I be notified if my Claim
Form is rejected?
If your claim is ineligible to receive a payment, you will be
notified in writing. An explanation will be provided and you will be allowed to
request that your claim be reconsidered.
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17. What if my address changes
after I submitted my Claim Form?
Be sure the Claims Administrator has your current contact information, including
your current address, to ensure that you receive any payment to which you are
entitled. Update your address by calling 1-888-952-9108, or by writing to:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement
201 S. Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3
P.O. Box 2355
Faribault, MN 55021-9055
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18. What do I need to do to
request a review of the determination that my claim is ineligible for payment?
You have 20 days from the date on the letter you received
to submit a detailed written statement of the basis of your challenge of the
Claims Administrator's determination.
Any supporting documentation must be marked with the claim number that appears
on the letter.
Your request for review may be submitted by letter to the Claims Administrator:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement, 201 S. Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3, P.O. Box
2355, Faribault, MN 55021 or faxed to 1-866-591-7219.
Your request for review must also include claim number and claimant
identification; claimant representative or agent information, if applicable;
and a certification that the information provided in the request is true and
correct.
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Effect of Submitting a Claim
19. Did I give up any legal rights
by submitting a Claim Form?
No. The deadline to exclude yourself from the Stockholder and
Bondholder class actions has already passed; unless you already excluded
yourself, you will be bound by the terms of the class actions settlement
regardless of whether you filed a claim or not. If you did exclude yourself,
then you were ineligible to file a claim for the class actions settlement, but
you were still eligible to file a claim from the SEC Settlement by filling out
and submitting a Claim Form before the deadline.
The SEC Settlement is not a class action and does not affect your right to sue
HealthSouth at a later date, nor any other of your legal rights.
Please contact the Claims Administrator at 1-888-952-9108 if you have further
questions about your legal rights.
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20. What if I did not submit a
Claim Form?
Your participation in the HealthSouth Settlement is voluntary.
You will still be bound by the terms of the class actions settlement, including
the release of claims against HealthSouth, if you did not previously exclude
yourself.
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Your Legal Representation
21.
Do I have a lawyer in the HealthSouth Settlements?
The Court has appointed attorneys to represent the Stockholder
and Bondholder Classes ("Lead Plaintiffs' Counsel"); lawyers for the SEC
represent the government and the public in the SEC Settlement. You do not have
to pay anything for representation in either case.
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Effect of Submitting a Claim
22. How will the attorneys be
paid?
Attorneys in the class actions settlement, both for the
Stockholder Class and the Bondholder Class, have been working on these claims
since as early as 1998 (in the stockholder lawsuit). When the Court held its
hearing on February 7, 2008 to approve the Plan of Allocation for the class
actions, the attorneys requested and were awarded fees and reimbursement of
expenses, to be paid out of the class actions settlement fund.
No attorneys' fees will be taken out of the $100 million SEC Settlement fund.
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23. When and where was the
hearing held?
The hearing on the proposed Plan of Allocation and attorneys'
fees in the class actions was held on February 7, 2008, at 1:30 p.m., at:
140 Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse
1729 Fifth Avenue North
Birmingham, Alabama
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24. What if I disagreed with the
proposed Plan of Allocation or the request for attorneys' fees in the class
actions?
The deadline to file an objection was December 15, 2007. The
Court considered the filed objections at the hearing on February 7, 2008.
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25. How do I object to the Plans
of Allocation or the request for attorneys' fees?
The deadline to file an objection was December 15, 2007.
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Questions About Payment
26. When will I receive my
payment?
The Court overseeing the HealthSouth Securities Settlement distributions has
given approval to distribute checks to valid claims eligible for payment.
Checks began mailing on July 23, 2010.
27. Will I have to pay taxes on my
payment?
Individual Circumstances will vary and we cannot provide tax
advice. The payment amount may be subject to federal and/or state taxes. Please
consult your tax advisor regarding the tax implications of this payment.
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28. Will I receive a 1099 form?
1099 forms will not be mailed for the payments from the HealthSouth Securities
Settlements.
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29. Why did I receive two checks?
You received two checks because you submitted a valid claim that was eligible
for payment from both the SEC settlement fund and the consolidated class
actions settlement fund. Separate funds were set up for the SEC case and the
consolidated class actions in accordance with Court Orders.
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30. How long do I have to cash my
check(s)?
Checks must be cashed promptly. Checks will become void 120 days after the date
on the check.
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31. Why are the amounts different
on the two checks I received?
The Plans of Allocation for each of the settlements approved by the Court differ
somewhat in terms of the loss calculations, and, therefore, can result in
different payment amounts. The Plans of Allocation are available for review on
this website.
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32. How can I have my check(s)
reissued in the correct name?
If you would like your check(s) reissued, please return the check(s) along with
the appropriate documentation to support the name change to the following
address:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement
c/o Rust Consulting, Inc., Claims Administrator
201 South Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3
PO Box 2355
Faribault, MN 55021-9055
Examples of acceptable documentation of names changes include: death
certificate, marriage license, divorce decree, or documentation to support a
change to the name of the beneficial owner of the account the Proof of Claim
was filed for. If you have a question about documentation please contact the
Claims Administrator by calling toll-free, 1-888-952-9108, or you may send an
email with your question to mail@HLSSettlement.com.
The Claims Administrator will review your documentation and contact you if
there are additional questions.
You should allow four to six weeks after the Claims Administrator receives your
returned check and documentation related to your reissue request for the new
check to arrive.
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33. I received a payment but wish
to ascertain whether it is accurate, what can I do?
The Plans of Allocation provide information about the payment calculation
formulas. Payment amounts were calculated based on the Plans of Allocation
approved by the Court. You may review these documents on this website by
clicking on the link to Plans of Allocation.
Note that all claims approved for payment are receiving a proportion of their
eligible loss because the total value of eligible losses exceeded the amount of
money in the settlement funds.
If you have additional questions with regard to your SEC payment, please
contact the Claims Administrator by calling toll-free, 1-888-952-9108.
If you have any questions with regard to your consolidated class actions
payment, please contact the Claims Administrator by calling toll-free,
1-877-552-1278.
You may also send an email with your question to
mail@HLSSettlement.com.
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34. What if I have a question
about my payment(s)?
If you have a question about your payment in the SEC case, you may call the
Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-888-952-9108, and a call center
representative will be happy to assist you. Call center hours are Monday
through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern time, or you may send an email
with your question to mail@HLSSettlement.com
If you have a question about your payment in the consolidated class actions,
you may call the Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-877-552-1278, and a call
center representative will be happy to assist you. Call center hours are Monday
through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern time, or you may send an email
with your question to mail@HLSSettlement.com
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35. What if I disagree with the
amount of my payment(s)?
Please note that many disagreements can be resolved by asking a question.
If you have a question about your payment in the SEC case, you may call the
Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-888-952-9108, and a call center
representative will be happy to assist you. Call center hours are Monday
through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern time, or you may send an email
with your question to mail@HLSSettlement.com
If you have a question about your payment in the consolidated class actions,
you may call the Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-877-552-1278, and a call
center representative will be happy to assist you. Call center hours are Monday
through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern time, or you may send an email
with your question to mail@HLSSettlement.com.
SEC Payment
If you do not agree with the calculation of your eligible loss or the
calculation of the amount of this check, your disagreement must be made in
writing detailing the disagreement, and it must be sent, postmarked no later
than sixty (60) days from the date of issuance of the payment to the Claims
Administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., 201 South Lyndale Avenue, P.O. Box 2355,
Faribault, MN 55021-9055. Your submission should also reference your claim
number. If you do not make your objection in this manner and within the time
described, you shall be deemed to have forever waived and forfeited the right
to challenge the calculation of your claim.
Consolidated class actions payment
If you do not agree with the calculation of your Allowed Loss or the
calculation of the amount of this check, your disagreement must be made in
writing detailing the disagreement, and it must be sent, postmarked no later
than sixty (60) days from the date of issuance of the payment to the Claims
Administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., 201 South Lyndale Avenue, P.O. Box 2355,
Faribault, MN 55021-9055. Your submission should also reference your claim
number. If you do not make your objection in this manner and within the time
described, you shall be deemed to have forever waived and forfeited the right
to challenge the calculation of your claim and all distributions from the
HealthSouth Settlement.
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36. What was the pro rata factor
used to calculate my SEC payment?
SEC Payments were calculated at approximately 2.42% of eligible loss amounts for
Stock and/or Bonds and approximately 19.08% for Options.
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37. What was the pro rata factor
used to calculate my consolidated class actions payment?
Consolidated class action Payments were calculated at approximately 7.3% of
eligible loss amounts for the Bondholder class, 4.7% for the Stockholder class
(includes options) and approximately 24.6% for the Merger Class. Please note
the check you received represents your pro-rata share of the initial cash
distribution which is 80% of the total distribution.
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38. I have not received my
payment. What should I do?
Payments to valid claims eligible for payment began mailing on July 23, 2010. Be
sure the Claims Administrator has your current contact information, including
your current address, to ensure that you receive any payment to which you are
entitled. If you have moved, you may update your address by calling
1-888-952-9108, or by writing to:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement
201 S. Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3
P.O. Box 2355
Faribault, MN 55021-9055
If you have not received your payment by August 6, 2010 please contact the
Claims Administrator at the toll free number above.
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39. I was told my claim was not
being paid because the calculated payment was less than $10. Why was my claim
not paid?
In accordance with the Plans of allocation, which were approved by the Court;
distribution amounts calculated at less than $10.00 will not be paid.
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Getting More Information
40. I still have questions. Whom
may I contact?
If you have additional questions, you may:
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Call toll-free 1-888-952-9108, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and
6:00 p.m. Eastern Time;
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Send an email to mail@HLSSettlement.com;
or
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Write to:
HealthSouth Securities Settlement
201 S. Lyndale Avenue, Suite S-3
P.O. Box 2355
Faribault, MN 55021-9055
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