Year-round Health Means Winter Work

3 Arrested Following Drug Raids

By BONNIE ADAMS; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Wednesday, January 21, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE- A lawsuit stemming from a fire in May at the Diversified
Records Services, Inc. storage warehouse has apparently reached Luzerne County
Court of Common Pleas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Two companies have filed suit against Diversified and an area fire
protection firm because of a blaze that destroyed the West Pittston document
storage facility. The action is the first known suit connected to the fire. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sallie Mae and a Minnesota-based insurance company have named Diversified
Records and Grinnell Fire Protection Systems Co. of Jessup as co-defendants. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's related to damage to the materials stored," said attorney Peter
Parashes. "Any lawsuit is for damage to compensate the party who lost
property." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The May 5 fire burned for several days, destroying thousands of paper
documents from numerous companies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Philadelphia attorney filed the request for a writ of summons Friday on
behalf of Sallie Mae, also known as the Student Loan Marketing Association,
Washington, D.C., and Great Northern Insurance Co. The insurance company is
suing on behalf of Neuberger and Berman, Warren, N.J. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We expect that there will be other parties bringing action in the near
future," Parashes said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Chris Kosakowski, local director of facilities for Sallie Mae, said the
company stored documents at the West Pittston site for at least two years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It would be some correspondence and records related to student loans," he
said. "I still do business with them." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Robert Lavet, chief litigation counsel for Sallie Mae, said the company has
been reimbursed by its insurance carrier for records lost in the fire. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre attorney Daniel Flannery, who represents Diversified, has read
the court filing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is the first ... which I'm aware," he said Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Flannery could not comment further, he said, because the paperwork does not
contain details. Those will be included in a subsequent complaint. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state police fire marshal ruled last September that the cause of the
fire is "undetermined" as the investigation continues. Sgt. Richard Krawetz
said Tuesday that there has been no change in the status of the cause. &nbsp;&amp;n

Sallie Mae Co-files Suit Against Diversified 
Legal Action Stems From Fire In May 
At West Pittston Storage Depot That 
Destroyed Thousands Of Documents

Sallie Mae Co-files Suit Against Diversified Legal Action Stems From Fire In May At West Pittston Storage Depot That Destroyed Thousands Of Documents