From time to time on this blog I try to draw generalizations from a variety of disparate claims as a way to identify emerging themes. However, a single recently filed securities class action manages to embody in a single complaint several themes I have previously tried to describe.
The case in question is the
Though Rule 10b5-1 trading plan abuses have figured in recent high profile cases (refer here), predetermined trading plans remain a good idea. A July 1, 2009 dismissal of a securities class action lawsuit pending in the Southern District of New York underscores the potential protective benefit that a trading plan can provide.
While the number of securities class action filings through the year’s first half still project to an annualized filing rate consistent with historical averages, there was a noticeable slackening in the number of new securities lawsuits filed as the second quarter of 2009 progressed. New filings in the second quarter were well below the number
On June 19, 2009, the Fifth Circuit, in a per curiam opinion (here) written by a panel that included retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor sitting by designation, reversed and remanded the district court’s denial of class certification and entry of summary judgment in defendants’ favor in the Flowserve securities class action lawsuit
In a June 17, 2009 opinion (here), the Eleventh Circuit upheld the district court’s entry, in connection with the $445 million partial settlement of the HealthSouth securities action, of a bar order that extinguished Richard Scrushy’s contractual claims both for indemnification of any settlement he may enter in the case as well as
In its most significant enforcement action yet related to the subprime meltdown, on June 4, 2009, the SEC filed a civil securities fraud complaint (here) in the Central District of California against Angelo Mozilo, the former CEO of Countrywide Financial Corp., as well as the company’s former COO and CFO. The complaint
There is no question that the Amsterdam Court of Appeals’ May 29, 2009 action authorizing Royal Dutch Shell to begin funding the April 2007 securities settlement represents a landmark development. Under the ruling (a copy of which can be found here, in Dutch), Shell will begin paying a total of $381 million to a
The high-profile bankruptcies of two of the country’s leading auto companies have dominated recent headlines, but for all their size, complexity and notoriety, the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies are only part of the recent wave of bankruptcies that have swept through economy. Numerous other companies have also found themselves in bankruptcy court. As these bankruptcies
One of Congress’ goals when it instituted the "lead plaintiff" provisions of the PSLRA was to encourage institutional investors to become more involved in controlling and monitoring securities class action lawsuits. But now that institutional investors are indeed more involved in securities lawsuits, the question has become – what difference has it made? A recent
Relatively few securities lawsuits make it to the U.S. Supreme Court, so for that reason alone it is a noteworthy development that on May 26, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Merck’s petition for a writ of certiorari in the securities class action lawsuit relating to the company’s disclosures about Vioxx, the pain medication