peHUB First Read

Cofee* Cash4Gold is suing an ex-employee who earlier this year revealed some alleged improprieties on a website called ComplaintsBoard. Now, the VC-backed pawn shop has expanded its lawsuit to include both ComplaintsBoard and a website called Consumerist, which picked up the original post. In a bit of irony, Consumerist’s post about the lawsuit is currently the #2 story on Digg, which sits alongside Cash4Gold in the Highland Capital Partners portfolio…

* Has Utah created a smarter work week?

* The New Establishment 100: Mike Moritz is on, Henry Kravis and Steve Schwarzman fall off.

* Morning Call: U.S. futures point lower, London falls early, European shares keep dropping, the Nikkei closes down 2.4% and Chinese shares extend gains.

* Steve Syre on EMC co-founder Richard Egan, who died last Friday.

* A premature list of the year’s best business books.

* Maria Bartiromo doesn’t quite seem to understand Medicare.

* Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners: More pressure to limit behavioral targeting threatens startup media companies.

* Heidi Moore: What autumn brings for big banks.

* Lasse Heje Pedersen: When everyone rushes for the exit.

* Bain Capital and Och-Ziff will charge 2010 performance fees on their hedge funds, even if they don’t recoup 2008 losses.

* James Surowiecki sits down for a chat with Barney Frank: