Vivendi lost the liability phase of the securities class action jury trial, and now it has lost a rearguard action to try to have French investors excluded from the U.S. investor class. According to press reports (here and here), Judge Jean-Claude Magendie of the Court of Appeals of Paris ruled on April
Court Rejects Rating Agencies’ Argument that Credit Crisis Alone Caused Investor Losses
In a April 26, 2010 opinion (here) that could have significant implications for motions to dismiss in the many subprime-related securities actions pending against the rating agencies, Southern District of New York Judge Schira Scheindlin rejected the arguments of Moody’s and S&P that the action investors in the Rhinebridge structured investment vehicle (SIV)
U.S. Supreme Court Allows Merck Vioxx Securities Suit to Proceed
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court held on April 27, 2010 that the shareholder lawsuit arising from Merck’s alleged misrepresentations regarding Vioxx is not time-barred by the applicable statute of limitations. A copy of the Court’s opinion can be found here.
Background
In an action filed in November 6, 2003, the plaintiffs had contended that
Shareholders Launch Follow-on Securities Lawsuit Against Goldman Sachs
The SEC’s high-profile enforcement action against Goldman Sachs and one of its investment bankers may or may not revitalize the waning subprime and credit crisis-related litigation wave, but it has at least sparked an outbreak of follow on civil litigation against Goldman Sachs.
According to their April 26, 2010 press release (here)
Plaintiffs Substantially Prevail in Two Subprime Lawsuit Dismissal Motion Rulings
The conventional view is that plaintiffs may be faring poorly in many of the subprime-related cases. However, plaintiffs have in fact been doing relatively better in ’33 Act claims brought by purchasers of mortgage-backed securities. A recent ruling in the Wells Fargo Mortgage-Backed Certificates Litigation, in which a significant number of plaintiffs’ claims survived the defendants’ motions
Madoff, Stanford and Hitler — All in One Blog Post!
Madoff Investor Lawsuit Against the SEC Dismissed: In an April 20, 2010 order (here), Central District of California Judge Stephen V. Wilson granted the motion of the SEC to dismiss the suit brought against the agency by Madoff investors under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
The investors had alleged that the SEC "owed
Countrywide Reportedly Settles Subprime-Related Securities Lawsuit for $600 Million
In the largest subprime-related securities suit settlement to date, Countrywide Financial has reached an agreement to pay $600 million to settle the securities class action pending against the company and certain of its directors and officers, according to an April 23, 2010 article by Gabe Friedman in The Daily Journal (here, subscription required). The
Corruption Enforcement Actions Surge, Follow-On Lawsuits Emerge
Every day seems to bring news of a new or expanded bribery or corruption allegations and enforcement actions. In recent days alone, Avon announced that it was suspending four executives in connection with an internal investigation into alleged bribery in the company’s Chinese operations, and U.S. authorities announced they were joining German and Russian authorities
Schwab Settles Subprime-Related Securities Suit for $200 Million
In one of the most substantial settlements to date to arise out of the subprime-related securities litigation wave, the parties to the consolidated Schwab YieldPlus securities class action lawsuit have reached an agreement to settle the case for $200 million, according to an April 20, 2010 press release from The Charles Schwab Corporation. The
O.K., So The SEC Sued Goldman Sachs – Now What?
The SEC’s blockbuster announcement last Friday of its civil enforcement action against Goldman Sachs and one of its investment bankers rocked the securities markets and made headlines in the financial press around the world. Undoubtedly because of Goldman’s prominence and perhaps also because of the nature of the allegations, the SEC’s action is widely seen