AOL Hit With Another Class-Action Suit

America Online Inc. was hit with another lawsuit when another New York law firm said it filed a class-action on behalf of its clients and AOL members frustrated with the world’s largest online service. The suit, filed in New York state court, came on the heels of class-action lawsuits filed this week in Los Angeles and New York. The Los Angeles suit was on behalf of five subscribers, seeking damages for what they call fraudulent and malicious representation. In addition, the state attorneys general for Wisconsin and New York have confirmed they are in discussions with Dulles, Va.-based AOL, seeking resolution to complaints they have received from consumers about the continuing problem of network access. Since AOL switched its more than 7 million members to unlimited access for $19.95 a month, its network has been deluged by subscribers, many of whom cannot log onto the system during peak evening hours or on weekends. More problems were reported by subscribers Wednesday. A spokeswoman for the company could not immediately comment on the latest lawsuit, but on Tuesday, AOL said it was upgrading its network and that it understood its users’ frustration.