While there were a number of significant, high-profile securities class action lawsuits filed during the first-half of 2010, overall filing levels for the year’s first six months, annualized for a full year, were well below last year’s filings and historical averages.

In the first half of 2010, there were 76 new securities class action

On January 21, 2010, the insurance information firm Advisen released the latest in a series of various observers’ year end analyses of 2009 securities litigation. Advisen’s year report can be accessed here. The Advisen report takes a somewhat different approach than the other reports, and reaches some strikingly different conclusions. Among other things, the

What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago, the subprime and credit crisis litigation wave was in full spate, and the onslaught of Madoff and other Ponzi scheme cases had just begun to surge. And while both of these lawsuit filing trends continued well into 2009, by year’s end both of these phenomena

In a detailed October 27, 2009 opinion (here), Western District of Washington Judge Marsha J. Pechman substantially denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss the plaintiffs’ amended complaint in the Washington Mutual subprime securities class action lawsuit. Judge Pechman’s ruling is noteworthy in and of itself, but perhaps even more because Judge Pechman

On March 11, 2009, Cornerstone Research released its report of 2008 securities lawsuit settlements entitled "Securities Class Action Settlements: 2008 Review and Analysis" (here). Cornerstone previously released its review of 2008 securities class action filings, which can be found here. Among other things, the newly released Cornerstone Report concludes that "the value

The numbers are unambiguous – there were more securities lawsuits filed in the second half of 2008 than there were in the first half. Nevertheless commentators and observers continue to repeat the mistaken conclusion that there were fewer lawsuits filed in the second half, and even to try to discern some significance from a decline

The credit-crisis securities litigation wave, which began with the filing of the first subprime mortgage-related lawsuits in early February 2007, is about to enter its third year. Though the wave has evolved during the intervening period, it shows no sign of slowing down. The more interesting question going forward will be whether the litigation