Stull, Stull & Brody Announces Class Action Against Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc.

Business Editors & Legal Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2001

The following statement was issued today by the law firm of Stull, Stull & Brody:

Notice is hereby given that a class action lawsuit was filed on August 29, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of purchasers of the common stock of Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc. ("Metromedia") (NASDAQ:MFNX) from between January 8, 2001 and July 2, 2001, inclusive (the "Class Period") against defendants Metromedia, Stephen A. Garofalo and Nicholas M. Tanzi.

The complaint alleges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, by issuing a series of material misrepresentations to the market between January 8, 2001 and July 2, 2001, thereby artificially inflating the price of Metromedia securities. Specifically, throughout the Class Period, defendants issued multiple press releases announcing and highlighting Metromedia's receipt of a $350 million credit facility from Citicorp USA, Inc. ("Citicorp") which would enable Metromedia to complete the construction of an extensive fiber optic network. These statements were materially false and misleading because defendants failed to disclose that (1) the Citicorp credit facility was contingent on the receipt of additional commitments from other lenders and that Metromedia was experiencing difficulty obtaining such commitments given the distressed market for telecom companies; (2) the further development of the Company's fiber optic network would be significantly delayed without obtaining the credit facility which was dependent on obtaining the necessary additional loan commitments; and (3) based on the foregoing, defendants' statements about the Company and its prospects were lacking in a reasonable basis at all times. Finally, on July 2, 2001, Metromedia issued a press release announcing that it received an extension of the commitment letter for its $350 million credit facility from Citicorp and revealed for the first time that the commitment letter from Citicorp was subject to the receipt of commitments from other lenders in the amount of $287.5 million. In response to this announcement, shares of Metromedia's stock closed at $1.95 per share on July 2, 2001, a far cry from the class period high of $19.06 reached on January 19, 2001.

Plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of class members and is represented by, among others, the law firm of Stull, Stull & Brody. Stull, Stull & Brody has litigated many class actions for violations of securities laws in federal courts over the past 25 years and has obtained court approval of substantial settlements on numerous occasions.

If you bought the common stock of Metromedia between January 8, 2001 and July 2, 2001, you may, no later than October 22, 2001, request the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff in this action. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member 's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as "lead plaintiff." Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain Stull, Stull & Brody, or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Tzivia Brody, Esq. at Stull, Stull & Brody by calling toll-free 1-800-337-4983, or by e-mail at [e-mail], or by fax at 212/490-2022, or by writing to Stull, Stull & Brody, 6 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017.