The recent trend toward declining numbers of corporate and securities lawsuit filings continued in the first quarter of 2015, according to a report from the insurance industry information firm, Advisen. If the level of activity in the year’s first quarter were to continue for the rest of the year, the number of new corporate and
Are Event Studies in Securities Litigation Reliable?
In its June 2014 opinion in the Halliburton case, the U.S. Supreme Court held that securities lawsuit defendants may introduce evidence at the class certification stage to try to show that the alleged misrepresentation on which the plaintiffs rely did not impact the defendant company’s share price. To show the absence of price impact, defendants
PwC Report Reviews 2014 Securities Suit Filings and Settlements, Analyzes Trends Likely to Drive Future Suits
On April 10, 2015, PwC released the latest in what is now a series of annual securities class action litigation reports. PwC’s report is generally consistent with the reports previously published by Cornerstone Research and NERA. What makes the PwC report noteworthy is its commentary on the trends the report’s authors believe could contribute to
Cornerstone Research: Accounting-Related Securities Suits Jump in 2014
The number of securities class action lawsuit filings raising accounting allegations rose by 47 percent in 2014 compared to the prior year, according to a new report from Cornerstone Research. The March 31, 2015 report, entitled “Accounting Class Action Filings and Settlements: 2014 Review and Analysis,” can be found here. Cornerstone Research’s March 31,
Facts, Opinions, Omissions, and Context: The U.S. Supreme Court Issues Omnicare Opinion
In a March 24, 2015 opinion in Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers District Council Construction Industry Pension Fund (here), the U.S. Supreme Court set aside the Sixth Circuit’s ruling that allegations of “objective falsity” were sufficient to make a statement of opinion in securities offering documents actionable. The Supreme Court remanded the case to
Guest Post: Omnicare Decision Clarifies Pleading Standard for Section 11 Claims Based on Statements of Opinion in Registration Statements
As I discuss in the accompanying post, on March 24, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issues its opinion in the Omnicare case. In the following guest post, the Skadden law firm summarizes the case and its holding. A version of the guest post previously was published as a Skadden client alert. I would like
Cornerstone Research: Average and Aggregate Securities Suit Settlements Plunged in 2014
The aggregate amount of all securities class action settlements during 2014 declined to the lowest level in years and there also was a “dramatic” decrease in the average securities suit settlement amount during the year, according to a March 24, 2014 report from Cornerstone Research. The report, which is entitled “Securities Class Action Settlements: 2014
Yet Another U.S. Securities Suit Arising From a Latin American Corruption Investigation
In yet another U.S. securities class action lawsuit involving a non-U.S. company and a corruption investigation in the company’s home country, on March 19, 2015 a shareholder of Chemical & Mining Company of Chile, Inc. (Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile, S.A, or SQM), the world’s largest producer of iodine and lithium and a
Thinking About the Data Breach Securities Class Action Lawsuits Yet to Come
There has been extensive litigation filed in the wake of the many high-profile data breaches over the last several years, but by and large the lawsuits have been filed on behalf of consumers or employees. Along the way, there have also been lawsuits filed against the directors and officers of the companies that experienced the
Life Sciences Companies and Securities Litigation: 2014 Update
Life sciences companies are “an increasingly popular target” of securities class action lawsuits, according to the annual securities litigation survey from the David A. Kotler of the Dechert law firm. According to the March 16, 2015 report, entitled “Dechert Survery of Securities Fraud Class Actions Brought Against U.S. Life Sciences Companies,” the number of 2014