The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in two cases concerning the pleading standard in securities fraud class actions....more
11/5/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Certiorari ,
Class Action ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Facebook Inc v Amalgamated Bank ,
Misleading Statements ,
Nvidia Corp v E Ohman J or Fonder AB ,
Pleading Standards ,
PSLRA ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation
The United States Supreme Court in Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. v. Moab Partners, L.P., No. 22-1165, ruled that a corporation is not liable under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 for...more
4/29/2024
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Item 303 ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Misleading Statements ,
Omissions ,
Regulation S-K ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations
TripAdvisor and its controlling corporation, both publicly traded Delaware companies, announced plans to convert to Nevada corporations. Shareholders sued to enjoin the conversions, alleging that the boards of directors had...more
During 2023, securities lawsuit filings rose for the first time in four years. Settlements declined last year; there were nine mega-settlements of more than $100 million, including a $1 billion settlement. Case filings...more
2/28/2024
/ Class Certification ,
Cryptocurrency ,
False Statements ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Misleading Statements ,
Scienter ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Standing ,
Statute of Limitations
A Washington federal judge dismissed challenges to Starbucks's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ("DEI") policies in a strongly worded opinion, making clear that politics don't belong in his courtroom....more
In Short -
The Situation: The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently decertified a class of stockholders who alleged that Goldman Sachs maintained an inflated share price by making...more
8/31/2023
/ Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v Goldman Sachs Group ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Decertification ,
Disclosure ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Inflated Stock Purchase Price ,
Material Misstatements ,
Misrepresentation ,
New Guidance ,
Presumption of Reliance ,
Retirement ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Fraud ,
Stock Prices
In Short -
The Situation: Following a cyberattack on a law firm's systems, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") subpoenaed the firm for information, including the identity of clients whose information may have...more
8/15/2023
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Discovery ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Evidence ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Government Investigations ,
Hackers ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Subpoenas
In Short -
The Situation: The Delaware Court of Chancery recently held that supplemental disclosures must be "material" to warrant mootness fees in litigation challenging the disclosures for M&A transactions. Anderson v....more
A unanimous Supreme Court has confirmed that a claim brought under section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 ("1933 Act") requires that a plaintiff plead and prove that the shares purchased were issued pursuant to an allegedly...more
Asserting that the company misstated the scope of data stolen in the cyberattack, the SEC provides a clear reminder that cybersecurity disclosures remain an agency priority....more
According to the Stanford Law School/Cornerstone Research Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, each year since 2001, with just one exception (2006), investors have filed more than 150 securities fraud class actions in the...more
During 2022, securities case filings fell for the fourth consecutive year and were down slightly from 2021. The number of announced settlements rose substantially last year, as did total settlement amounts. The 2022...more
2/8/2023
/ Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Popular ,
Scienter ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
During 2021, securities case filings fell for the second consecutive year and, for the first time since 2016, fewer than 300 federal securities class actions were filed. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the number of announced...more
2/24/2022
/ Class Certification ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
False Statements ,
Jurisdiction ,
Loss Causation ,
Presumption of Reliance ,
Scienter ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Standing ,
Statute of Limitations
The U.S. Supreme Court held that courts should consider the generic nature of a misrepresentation when assessing price impact in securities-fraud suits and that defendants bear the burden of persuasion to prove a lack of...more
6/28/2021
/ Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v Goldman Sachs Group ,
Basic v Levinson ,
Burden of Persuasion ,
Burden of Proof ,
Certiorari ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Investors ,
Presumption of Reliance ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders
2020 was another active year for securities litigation in the United States. Federal securities class actions continued to be filed at record levels notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, a number of those newly...more
2/8/2021
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Corporate Counsel ,
D&O Insurance ,
Derivative Suit ,
Forum Selection ,
Loss Causation ,
Pleading Standards ,
Scienter ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Short-Swing Trading ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
The Situation: Use by outside directors of non-company email accounts or other non-secure platforms to conduct board business risks waiver of the board's privilege. Even if the privilege is maintained, use of such an account...more
The Situation: Directors of a biopharmaceutical company face potential liability where they knew—or should have known—that the company was not complying with regulations governing a matter of critical importance to the...more
The Situation: Directors of Blue Bell Creameries USA, Inc. ("Blue Bell") were sued for breach of fiduciary duty following a lethal listeria outbreak in its ice cream facilities. Applying the duty of oversight first...more
8/8/2019
/ Blue Bell Creameries ,
Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Business Judgment Rule ,
Caremark claim ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Derivative Suit ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Safety ,
Listeria ,
Oversight Duties ,
Section 220 Request
When does time run out on filing a class action? Under the U.S. Supreme Court's seminal decisions in American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah and Crown, Cork & Seal Co. v. Parker, a timely class complaint tolls the statute of...more
6/18/2018
/ American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah ,
Appeals ,
China Agritech Inc v Resh ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Class Members ,
Equitable Tolling ,
FRCP 23 ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Fraud ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Subsequent Litigation
In recent years, plaintiffs increasingly have challenged initial public offerings by filing securities class actions in state courts, especially California, due to an unsettled jurisdictional question. In Cyan, Inc. v. Beaver...more
3/29/2018
/ Class Action ,
Cyan Inc v Beaver Cty Emps Ret Fund ,
Jurisdiction ,
PSLRA ,
Removal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Violations ,
SLUSA ,
State Law Claims