Oct. 29, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSTK) was saddened today to learn of the passing of John M. O'Quinn, Esq. who died Thursday in an automobile accident in Houston, Texas.

"As a skilled trial attorney, John was a crusader for causes, seeking redress for wrongs, and fighting for the little guy, no matter the opposition or the odds," said Patrick Byrne, Overstock.com's Chairman and CEO. "John changed my mind about the plaintiff's bar when he pointed out to me, 'Patrick, they can buy the regulators. They can buy the congressmen and senators. They can buy the reporters. They can even buy the federal courts. But the one thing they just can't buy is that room with 12 Americans in it.'"

Byrne continued: "John was gracious; a person larger than life, and was our friend in the cause to address, through the law, the Wall Street wrongdoing of brokerage firms and hedge funds which have recently troubled our capital markets. His presence on the national landscape will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to his family and associates."

Mr. O'Quinn and his firm, along with a consortium of other Texas and California firms, undertook the representation of Overstock.com in two California cases which took aim at stock market practices involving naked short selling and concerted short selling attacks by abusive and illegal means.

Jonathan Johnson, President of Overstock.com, noted: "This sad news today does not change the landscape of our prosecution of these cases. The company continues to be well represented and we are looking forward to our day in court."

About Overstock.com

Overstock.com, Inc. is an online retailer offering brand-name merchandise at discount prices. The company offers its customers an opportunity to shop for bargains conveniently, while offering its suppliers an alternative inventory distribution channel. Overstock.com, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market System and can be found online at http://www.overstock.com. Overstock.com regularly posts information about the company and other related matters on its website under the heading "Investor Relations."

Overstock.com® is a registered trademark of Overstock.com, Inc

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the prospects for successful litigation in the cases mentioned. Our Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2008, our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, or any amendments thereto, and our other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission identify important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections, estimates or forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Overstock.com, Inc.