Recently, several appellate-level court decisions have affirmed dismissals of ERISA fiduciary-breach claims involving 401(k) plans. These decisions followed the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year in a 403(b) case, in...more
On August 1, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of a “stock drop” lawsuit against Boeing. The Seventh Circuit based its conclusion on the fact that an...more
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Fifth Third Bancorp v. Dudenhoeffer, courts around the country have overwhelmingly rejected ERISA fiduciary-breach claims by 401(k) plan participants seeking relief related to investments...more
Welcome back to the Class Action & MDL Roundup! This edition covers notable class actions from the fourth quarter of 2021. In this edition, the Seventh Circuit shorts out an FCRA suit, a plaintiff just … gives up, and...more
Northern District of Illinois Grants Motion for Partial Reconsideration of Summary Judgment Decision Regarding Whether Former Walgreens CFO’s Statements Were Actionable; Securities Fraud Claims Against Chicken Producer for...more
On September 30, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut dismissed an ERISA stock-drop lawsuit brought against alleged fiduciaries of Aetna, Inc.’s (Aetna’s) employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), holding...more
On August 23, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed an ERISA stock-drop lawsuit brought against fiduciaries of Kraft Heinz Food Company’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), holding...more
Securities fraud litigation based on regulatory mishaps, environmental disasters, data breaches, sexual harassment revelations, the COVID-19 pandemic and other well-publicized events that affect stock prices has been on the...more
While we are growing accustomed to pandemic-based shareholder actions relating to improper health and safety disclosures or misrepresentations relating to COVID-19 treatments and tests, this month brings a novel variant of...more
Another source of litigation risk for fund sponsors are claims brought by portfolio company employees. Sponsors should be aware of these risks, particularly when the portfolio company is in distress or is considering a sale...more
The Ninth Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of an ERISA employer-stock drop putative class action, holding that the plaintiff’s failure to identify specific, viable alternative actions that plan fiduciaries should have...more
These days, it is commonplace for companies to commit to general concepts like “sustainability” or a “diverse workforce” in public statements and SEC disclosures. But when stock prices drop as a result of specific...more
On December 8, 2020, Skadden held the fourth and final installment of its annual Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Update, “Developments and Trends in Securities Litigation: A Year-End Update for 2020 and a...more
The once-in-a-century pandemic has triggered not only market turbulence, but also unprecedented mass layoffs and furloughs. As the markets continue to fluctuate and public companies plan reductions in staff, companies—and...more
Despite unprecedented disruptions to the court system from the COVID-19 pandemic, plaintiffs continued to bring securities class actions at elevated levels in 2020 — a sign that filings will remain high in the year ahead....more
On June 10, 2020, the Ninth Circuit, in Vicky Nguyen v. Endologix, Inc., et al., affirmed in a published decision the district court’s dismissal with prejudice of a putative securities fraud class action because plaintiff...more
On November 9, 2020, the Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander, leaving unresolved for now questions about the specificity...more
Among the many lawsuits Boeing confronted following the disclosure of problems with the 737 Max was a class action brought by participants in the Boeing Voluntary Investment Plan who invested in the Boeing ESOP. The...more
This OnPoint is the first in a series that will examine important trends and developments in class action litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Here, we look at the current litigation...more
This week, the Ninth Circuit examines how the loss-causation requirement of a securities-fraud claim may be satisfied in cases involving FOIA disclosures, and considers the application of Younger v. Harris to a State...more
Shareholder rights plans, commonly known as “poison pills,” are arrangements that can be used by companies to stave off hostile takeovers or activist investors seeking to exert control over a company without paying a control...more
Companies that sell products or services that cannot be marketed without regulatory preclearance, and particularly companies that develop experimental drugs and medical devices, should take note of the recent opinion by Judge...more
Key Takeaways- •Stock price plunges caused by COVID and current market conditions create fertile ground for stockholder litigation, including claims by participants in retirement plans funded with employer securities that...more
On June 10, 2020, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a putative securities fraud class action against Endologix, Inc., a medical device company, on the grounds that the shareholder’s core...more
Like every aspect of our society, the coronavirus is affecting class action litigation. In the last month a rush of new “corona” class actions have been filed, and businesses are seeing novel class claims. The headlines have...more