The tone public companies use in their disclosure statements can affect the companies’ susceptibility to securities class action litigation, according to a recent academic study. The authors found that firms hit with securities litigation generally used more optimistic language in their disclosure statements than did firms that were not sued. Based on these findings, the
SEC Brings Securities Enforcement Action Against Private Company, Former Chairman/CEO
The SEC has commenced an enforcement action against a private company and its former Chairman and CEO in connection with the company’s repurchase of company shares from company employees and others prior to the company’s acquisition.
The action involves Stiefel Laboratories, which prior to its April 2009 acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline for $68,000 a share
Public Company Bankruptcies Declined in 2011
The number of publicly traded companies that filed for bankruptcy protection under either Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 declined in 2011, compared to the year prior, although the 2011 bankrupt companies collectively listed greater amounts of pre-petition assets than 2010 bankrupt public companies did, according to data recently released by BankruptcyData.com (here).
An Early Look at Cornerstone Research’s Analysis of Current M&A-Related Litigation Trends
In several recent posts (most recently here), I have written about the problems associated with the growing wave of M&A related litigation. In writing about this topic, I have tried to marshal the evidence supporting my position, but for many reasons my analysis has been more descriptive than statistical. However, I have been provided
A Status Update on the Subprime and Credit Crisis-Related Litigation
Back in February 2007, when investors in New Century Financial Corporation filed a securities class action lawsuit against the company and certain of its directors and officers, there was little reason to suspect at the time that problems at the company represented the leading edge of a looming financial crisis or that the case itself
Interesting Times: A 2011 Year-End FCPA Update
As a result of developments during 2011, there is a “growing sense of urgency amongst FCPA practitioners as to the direction the statute will take in the coming years,” according to a law firm’s year-end FCPA report. The January 3, 2011 memo from the Gibson Dunn law firm, entitled “2011 Year-End Update,” can be found
The Latest FDIC Failed Bank Lawsuit
On December 29, 2011, in what appears to have been the final year-end step as the FDIC ramped up its failed bank litigation activity during 2011, the FDIC filed a civil lawsuit in the Western District of North Carolina in is capacity as receiver of The Bank of Ashville, of Ashville, North Carolina, against seven
New Year’s Filings Pick Up Where Last Year’s Left Off with New Lawsuit Against U.S.-Listed Chinese Company
Securities class action lawsuit filing activity seems to have picked right up in the New Year where last year’s filings left off, as what appears to be the first filed case of 2012 involves a U.S.-listed Chinese company. Camelot Information Systems, a Chinese-based company whose American Depositary Shares (ADS) trade on the NYSE, and
The Top Ten D&O Stories of 2011
The year just ended was eventful in many ways. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards and droughts were scattered across the globe, and political unrest shook many countries. In a year filled with such significant developments, events in the world of D&O liability pale by comparison. But even if there were no earth-shaking events, 2011 was
A Closer Look at 2011 Securities Lawsuit Filings
Surging levels of M&A-related litigation and a wave of lawsuits involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies drove federal securities class action lawsuit filings during 2011 to the highest levels since 2008. However, due to the growing wave of M&A-related litigation, much of which is filed in the state courts, the federal securities lawsuit filing statistics, while interesting