RENO, Nev (AP) - A federal appeals court reinstated a whistleblower lawsuit by a couple who were dismissed after raising questions about an International Game Technology merger.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Shawn and Lena Van Asdale should have a chance to air claims that information was withheld from IGT shareholders during the $1.5 billion stock swap acquisition of Anchor Gaming in 2001.
The appellate court in San Francisco overturned U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. McQuaid's pretrial summary judgment favoring IGT.
The court also reinstated lawsuits the Van Asdales filed in Nevada state court against the Reno-based slot machine maker.
The Van Asdales were IGT lawyers. They say officials ignored questions about a valuable Anchor patent, and they were dismissed after the merger on grounds of poor performance.