In March 2001, ten current and former employees of Marriott Management Services, Inc., which later became Sodexho Marriott Services, Inc. and is now Sodexho, Inc. filed a lawsuit alleging that they and other African-American salaried employees were discriminated against on the basis of their race. The plaintiffs` complaint alleges unspecified damages on behalf of a class of over 2,600 current and former employees of Sodexho, Inc. relating to the period commencing March 27, 1998.
This lawsuit is not new and Sodexho informed the financial community of it in a timely manner.
In June 2002, the district court for the District of Columbia certified the case as a class action.
Yesterday the Supreme Court declined to review the technical standards for certification of the class. This was not a decision about the merits of the case.
Sodexho firmly denies the plaintiffs` allegations of racial discrimination and considers this case is entirely without merit. Since its creation, Sodexho has never tolerated any form of discrimination and has always been vigilant in offering each of its employees an equal opportunity.
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, but are not limited to, statements regarding anticipated future events and financial performance with respect to our operations. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimated”, “project”, “plan”, “pro forma,” and “intend” or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” or “may.” Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results include, but are not limited to, those set forth in our Registration Statement on Form 20-F, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the competitive environment in which we operate, changes in general economic conditions and changes in the French, American and/or global financial and/or capital markets. Forward-looking statements represent management`s views as of the date they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for actual events occurring after that date. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.

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