Suit against Reynolds moves forward

A federal lawsuit against one or the area’s biggest employers is moving forward

A federal judge recently ruled against Kettering-based Reynolds and Reynolds in a data access lawsuit against the company, giving it 20 days to respond to nearly 2,000 pages of material a plaintiff filed with the court.

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The federal judge gave Reynolds and Reynolds and fellow lawsuit defendant CDK Global LLC until June 16 to file opposition briefs, with plaintiff Authenticom given until June 22 to reply. An evidentiary hearing is set for June 26-27.

The “expedited” schedule gives Reynolds “only 20 days to respond to the nearly 2,000 pages of materials served by Authenticom,” Reynolds attorneys protested in their filing.

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“Authenticom is seeking here what it has been unsuccessful in obtaining for over a decade: unlawful access to the proprietary software system owned and operated by Reynolds,” lawyers for Reynolds wrote in their filings.

Judge James D. Peterson was unmoved.

“I have some sympathy for defendants because plaintiff’s filing is huge, even though it complies with the court’s rules,” he wrote.” But defendants don’t propose any alternative, other than to summarily dismiss the requested injunction …. That of course would require me to ignore the imminent harm the plaintiff alleges.”

Reynolds and Reynolds, which provides forms and software for auto dealers nationwide, argued against an expedited schedule in Authenticom Inc.’s lawsuit against both Reynolds and Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based CDK Global LLC. LaCrosse, Wisc.-based Authenticom — a company that says it provides management services that connect more than 12,000 auto dealerships — is suing for access to auto dealer data.

Authenticom argues that Reynolds and CDK have entered into an illegal pact to eliminate competition in the dealer data market. The company contends that the two defendants agreed to block independent companies like Authenticom by disabling their computer system log-on credentials.

Authenticom wants a preliminary injunction against Reynolds and CDK, saying it faces “irreparable harm that threatens its existence.”

A Reynolds spokesman referred to the company’s court filings, and declined to comment beyond that.

Reynolds has about 1,300 employees in a County Line Road campus near the Kettering-Beavercreek border.

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