Yet another securities class action lawsuit against a non-U.S. company has been dismissed based on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Morrison v. National Bank of Australia. In a decision that specifically addresses many of the questions that have been discussed in the wake of Morrison, Southern District of New York Judge John Koeltl
BankAtlantic Subprime Securities Suit Remains on Track For Trial This Week
As discussed in an earlier post, the BankAtlantic subprime related securities lawsuit is headed to trial. According to an October 5, 2010 Law.com article (here), jury selection in the case will begin this Friday, October 8, 2010, in federal court in Miami.
The Law.com article suggests the case has become contentious
Is the FDIC Staking Out Its Territory or Extending Its Borders?
With one lone exception, the FDIC has not yet itself pursued litigation against the directors and officers of a failed financial institution. However, the FDIC has already made it clear that it intends to assert its rights under FIRREA as the receiver of failed banks to take control of shareholders’ derivative lawsuits.
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A Flurry of Subprime Lawsuit Dismissal Motion Rulings
There was a flurry of subprime related securities lawsuit dismissal motion activity at the end of last week, and although in some cases the motions were granted and in other instances large parts of the cases were dismissed, in several instances enough of the cases survived for the plaintiffs to tally the rulings in the
3Q10 Securities Class Action Filings Remain Below Historical Averages
New securities class action lawsuit filings in the third quarter of 2010 remained below longer term historical averages, although consistent with filing levels in more recent quarters. There were 39 new securities class action lawsuits filed in the third quarter, bringing the 2010 YTD total number of new filings to 125, as of September 30
So Morrison Precludes Even Domestic ADR Purchasers’ Securities Suits?
So the U.S. Supreme Court held in Morrison that the investors who purchased their shares of a non-U.S. company on a foreign exchange cannot pursue claims under the Exchange Act, but securityholders who purchased American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the U.S. can still seek damages under the Exchange Act, right? Not according to a September
AIG’s Subprime Securities Suit Survives Dismissal Motion
In a September 27, 2010 order (here), Judge Laura Taylor Swain denied the dismissal motions in the subprime-related securities class action lawsuit pending against AIG, certain of its former directors and officers, its accountant and its offering underwriters. Andrew Longstreth’s September 27 Am Law Litigation Daily article about the decision can be found
Web Notes and Updates
NYSE Commission on Corporate Governance: On September 23, 2010, the NYSE Commission on Corporate Governance issued a report (here) following a two year review of governance issues and considerations. The Commission, chaired by Larry Sonsini of the Wilson Sonsini law firm, included more than two dozen members representing a broad range of constituencies
Sallie Mae Securities Suit Survives Dismissal Motion
In a September 24, 2010 order (here), Southern District of New York William Pauley denied the dismissal motions of Sallie Mae and its former CEO, Albert Lord, but granted the dismissal motion of CFO (and later CEO), Charles Andrews, in the credit crisis-related securities suit against Sallie Mae first filed in 2008.
Pressure for Action Against Corporate Officials
News reports about the September 22, 2010 Senate Banking Committee hearing regarding the SEC have focused on the provocative statements by SEC Inspector General H. David Katz. Among other things, Katz suggested that a Texas-based SEC official quashed the investigation of allegations regarding Stanford Financial Group, allowing the Stanford-related Ponzi scheme to continue. Katz also