As I have noted in numerous posts on this site (most recently here), SPAC-related litigation has been a significant factor in the overall volume of corporate and securities litigation filings in recent years. But while I have been attentive to noting the lawsuits as they have been filed, it could be argued that I have not been as dutiful in noting how these cases are being resolved. One recent case resolution – the settlement of the various SPAC-related litigation involving ATI Physical Therapy – is particularly interesting. The court recently approved the settlement of these cases for a total of $31 million. As discussed below, there are several interesting features of these settlements. The court’s approval of the settlements is detailed in a September 24, 2024, Law360 article (here).Continue Reading ATI Physical Therapy Settles SPAC-Related Litigation for $31 Million

In a significant number of the many SPAC-related lawsuits that have been filed in recent years, SPAC investors allege that executives at the previously private target company into which the SPAC merged made pre-merger misrepresentations about the target company’s operations or prospects. In an interesting decision in a securities suit involving Lucid Motors and that has a great deal of potential significance for many of these SPAC-related suits, the Ninth Circuit has held that the SPAC investors, who were neither purchasers nor sellers of the stock of the target company, lack standing to pursue their claims against Lucid Motors for alleged pre-merger misrepresentations. The Ninth Circuit’s August 8, 2024, opinion in the Lucid Motors case can be found here.Continue Reading 9th Circ.: SPAC Investors Lack Standing to Sue Over Merger Target Company’s Misrepresentations

Last week, when I wrote about two recent AI-related SEC enforcement actions, I noted that the SEC’s public statements when it announced the enforcement action settlements not only underscored the SEC’s AI-related concerns but also illustrated the kinds of issues that could lead to private securities litigation brought by investors who claim they were misled by companies’ AI-related disclosures. In the latest example showing how company disclosures relating to artificial intelligence can lead to securities litigation, a plaintiff shareholder has filed a securities suit against a security screening company alleging that the company’s public statements about its AI-enabled products and services were misleading. A copy of the March 25, 2024, complaint can be found here.Continue Reading Security Screening Company Hit with AI-Related Securities Suit