European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                February 20, w3 the stars and strikes of tit 3 stateside furniture May get partner . Firm expects to make decision in 2 months by Kevin Robinson business write officials of a furn Ilure company near he Marine corps base at Camp Lejeune , Are expected to make a decision in two months on whether to merge with stateside furniture corp. Pat Summersille the owner of Mallory s furniture in Jacksonville Tyc confirmed this week thai her com Pany is considering a merger with stateside furniture. She said her accountants arc reviewing stateside financial records and business accounts. We Are proceeding As fast As we can to Check it out she said. In two months she added they will know if the companies will merge. In december stateside abruptly closed its 16 euro Pean offices and All but severed communications with its customers overseas except for a recorded Tele phone message. For stateside furniture customers who had invested thousands of dollars for new american furniture these actions cast a Shadow Over the company s contracted agreements to provide the merchandise once the customer rotated Back to the United states. Summersille acknowledged that stateside furniture is going through some financial difficulties but would not elaborate on the degree of the problems. At the moment there Are mixed signals about the status of stateside furniture As of feb. 10, there were no bankruptcy actions listed naming stateside furniture corp., according to officials at the . Bankruptcy court for Southern California in san Diego. The company is based in la Jolla. Officials at Thomasville furniture in Thomasville ., have put a hold on any outgoing furniture or Ders supplied to stateside. When a company is in financial difficulties we can t ship furniture to them if they arc not paying up front. And stateside in t doing that said Iran 1 Lodge a customer service representative for Thomasville furniture. Furniture for customers rotating from Europe has been shipped from the North Carolina warehouse through the army transportation division at fort Bragg , according to army officials there. Repeated attempts to Contact company officials including owner Sam Lovinc through state Side s la Jolln Headquarters have been unsuccessful. The fax machine at the California office has apparently been disconnected. Also the office s Telephone answering machine that said the company would con tact customers about their contracts has reverted to the original  the company has closed its overseas locations. The company announced it will close its Greensboro ., warehouse March 31, when the lease expire. Customers were advised to arrange for the pickup and storage of furniture at their own expense. Stateside has not said what will happen to customers furniture left inside the warehouse once it closes the warehouse manager Andrew Josowitz will re lease furniture to customers or their designated representatives with a Power of attorney who show proof that the furniture is paid for. Josowitz cannot accept furniture payments at the warehouse. He also cannot Contact company officials in California they Only Call him although the merger proposal at stateside is still undecided Summersille said she was aware of the current uncertainty facing stateside customers and their accounts. Those folks sure have a lot of Money tied up in this thing she said of stateside customers who have in vested thousands of dollars for furniture. It s got to be uncomfortable for  Mallory s furniture three Miles from the Camp la a Cunt front Gate has been in the furniture business for 40 years Summersille said. Because we be served the Marine corps for so Long the move to Europe would be a natural Extension for us she said. The military Market in Europe is very attractive to  however the North Carolina company still is re searching whether that Extension to a military Market in Europe will be with or without stateside. If the com panics merge Summersille said they would have to ensure that customers with current furniture orders continue to receive their furniture. Overseas customers still in limbo about orders by Kevin Robinson business writer until stateside furniture corp s future becomes clearer Many of its custom ers say they arc left in a holding Patter Between continuing payments or initiating Legal action against the company to recover their Money. This push and Pul situation recently intensified for customers in Llu rope when the .-based company announced that anyone with furniture in its North Carolina warehouse must arrange to pick it up and store it before the facility closes March 31. The recently confirmed possibility that stateside could merge with Mallory furniture of Jacksonville ., comes at a time when some customers Are consid ering what they can do to ensure they receive their furniture or their Money. One customer said his stateside con tract specifies that once the furniture company places the order with a Furni Ture Vendor such As Thomasville Furni Ture industries inc., the customer s Money cannot be refunded. However Thomasville officials at the Linn s Thoin Asville , offices said they have put a hold on All orders from stateside until that company is Able to pay for orders tip front. Some customers have filed complaint against stateside through both the de sense department inspector general s of fice at Lindsey air station in Wiesbaden Germany and District attorney offices in san Diego and North Carolina. However even with the complaints military officials said that Little if any thing can be done for stateside custom ers until Here is solid proof the company reneged on its contracts according to air Force it. Col. Alexander Purdue the judge advocate general at Lii Ulsey so far stateside has not breached it contracts at least not with the customer we talked to Purdue said. He added that stateside customers will find out if the . Company honors its contracts once customers begin rotating to the United Stales and they do or Don t receive their furniture. The Best thing customers can do right now is to take their contracts to their nearest Legal assistance office said col. Ihlen Shauf the director of the defense department i s regional office in Liu rope. If people feel they Aren t getting assist Ance they can Call the defense depart ment in Shauf said and we can make the system work for  the Lack of communication betwee stateside customers and the furniture company has raised concerns among  who paid up to thou Sands of dollars for furniture. Army capt. Kenneth Curtis and his wife Sheryl of Giessen Germany said they have paid $600 on the $2,400 Worth of furniture they ordered. However they Haven t heard from the company since they received a pay statement in septem Ber said Sheryl Curtis. They be called the California head quarters four times leaving their name and account information Curtis said. No one from stateside has returned their Calls. Payment checks they sent to the company have returned without being cashed. The Curliss arc in a dilemma because their contract says they have to pay 70 percent of their Bill before the furniture is even ordered. However until hey hear something from the company Curtis said their lawyer has advised them to Stop fur ther payments. Air Force sgt. Kevin Shancer and his wife Lisbeth of Pitburg a Germany said they Don t want to continue their$300 payments if stateside in t solvent. But they have been counselled by military Legal officials that they arc bound by the terms of their contract to continue pay ments with stateside unless the company goes under. If my furniture is in the warehouse ill go ahead and Send stateside the Money said Kevin Shancer referring to the $600 they have left to pay on their$3,000 Worth of furniture. Bent Collin a retired air Force master sergeant in Kaiserslautern Germany said he plans to travel to Greensboro , around mid March to take his $3,000 Worth of furniture put of the stateside warehouse and put it in storage at his own expense. Collin said he is willing to assist others who have furniture in the warehouse to secure it and nut it in storage while he sin North Carolina but it will involve pow ers of attorney and proof that the Furni Ture is paid for. Collin can be reached a German civilian 0631-52441. Parents of dead boy sue fast food Chain Tacoma Wash. A the parents of u 2 year old boy who died in the by Clcilia outbreak tra ced to Jack in the Fox  have sued the fast food Chain and its , food ukr inc. The lawsuit was filed  in Picicc county Superior c Cuil by Michael and Diane Nolc of Tuco a. It seeks unspecified damages for the death of their son Michael. The boy died Jan. 21 at rail Dick i Hospital in Seattle of he a it failure associated with hem Lytic Niemic poisoning caused by it. Coli. The lawsuit claims the boy contracted the illness from eating a contaminated hamburger at a Jack in the Fox restau Lant in Tacony. Hundreds of people Weie sickened and two peo ple died dining the bail civial outbreak which hit Washington the Maui Cost though related cases Weie cipo itch in Idaho and Nevada. Several children be main hospitalized in the Seattle urea. The second death was not directly linked to the hamburgers and officials have said they Are not sure How the girl contracted the illness. The outbreak was blamed on undercooked meat from a Batch tainted with the bacteria which is found in cattle guts and focal matter. The state health department warned Consumers of the outbreak Jan. 17 and linked it to Jack in the Fox restaurants the next Day