He was born into a working-class family in Gary, Indiana, in 1958.

NEWYORKER: The Pale King

The suit, filed Jan. 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by Chicago personal injury lawyers Ribbeck Lawchartered, is a class action by Gary Lobatan on behalf of at least 4, 200 passengers and crewmembers on board the Costa Concordia when it went aground near Giglio, Italy.

FORBES: Shipwreck Suit Filed In U.S.; Judge May Send It To Italy

The competing lawyers convinced 435 class members to opt out of the settlement before U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster invalidated the opt-outs and barred the lawyers from talking to class members any more.

FORBES: Class-Action Foodfight Goes Back To Judge For 2nd Try

"Sun is getting a proven enterprise-class directory built into the operating system - it's a strong direction, " says Gary Rowe, executive vice president of The Burton Group, which sponsored the Catalyst Conference.

CNN: Sun/Netscape Alliance brings directory ties