individuals submitted declarations in response to the court's February 5, 2001, order (Doc # 44). That order solicited responses to ten questions regarding plaintiffs' efforts to obtain competent counsel and to negotiate a reasonable fee arrangement. Also, each individual attended a hearing on March 8, 2001. The prospective plaintiffs told the court in person about their qualifications and interests in representing the class.
The first proposed lead plaintiff, William A Chenoweth, was a fifty year old certified public accountant residing in Birmingham, Alabama. Chenowith had an undergraduate degree in computer science from Vanderbilt University, as well as an MBA from Brigham Young University. Chenoweth asserted that he had read several news reports and objective analyses regarding the transactions at issue in this matter and was thus prepared to directlead counsel regarding investigation and other litigation preparation. Chenoweth had not negotiated a fee arrangement with any proposed class counsel and stated that he would undertake such negotiations should he be appointed lead plaintiff. Chenoweth's damages were estimated to be approximately $295,000. See Decl Ryan M Hagan (Hagan Decl; Doc # 28) at ¶ 4.
The second proposed lead plaintiff, Quinn Barton, had originally been one of ten individuals comprising a group seeking lead plaintiff appointment as the Prendergast group. Only Barton, however, still sought to be so appointed at the time of the hearing. Barton was a self-employed investor residing in Jacksonville, Florida. Barton received an MBA from George Washington University and worked on Wall Street for approximately ten years, much of that time as a commercial bond