SPACs were back in the business headlines again last Friday, as the news circulated that shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, had approved the proposed business combination with Trump Media & Technology Group, the corporate parent of Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social media company. On the same day, in a reminder of what has happened to all too many companies that merged with SPACs during the peak of the SPAC frenzy in 2020 and 2021, shareholders of a SPAC that merged with an electric vehicle company sued the directors and officers of the SPAC as well as the EV company, alleging that in the merger proxy statement the defendants failed to disclose multiple business problems at the target company. The lawsuit is the latest SPAC-related securities suit to be filed after the collapse of the SPAC surge.Continue Reading EV Company Hit With SPAC-Related Securities Suit
electric vehicles
EV Company Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit
One of the most important securities class action litigation trends in recent years has been the wave of securities lawsuits involving SPACs. And while as time has passed since the peak of the SPAC IPO frenzy in late 2020 and early 2021, SPAC-related securities class action suits continue to be filed. The latest example is the securities suit filed earlier this week against the electric vehicle company Fisker, which merged with a SPAC in 2020. A copy of the November 27, 2023, complaint can be found here.Continue Reading EV Company Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit
Electric Scooter Company Hit With SPAC-Related Securities Suit
After a several months-long lull in which relatively few SPAC-related securities suits were filed, plaintiffs’ lawyers have now in the past several days filed several new cases. The latest example is the lawsuit filed late last week against the electric scooter company Bird Global, Inc., which merged with a publicly traded SPAC in November 2021. The lawsuit comes after the company’s announcement on November 14, 2022 that due to a reporting error the company would be restating its previously published financial statements for several prior reporting periods. A copy of the November 17, 2022 complaint can be found here.
Continue Reading Electric Scooter Company Hit With SPAC-Related Securities Suit
After Short Seller Report, Lithium Battery Recycler Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit
In a new lawsuit that closely mirrors the features of many recent SPAC-related securities lawsuits, and that indeed almost entirely replicates the most recent suits, a plaintiff shareholder has initiated a securities class action against Canadian-based lithium battery recycler, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. Li-Cycle completed a merger with a publicly traded SPAC in August 2021 and was the subject of a short-seller report in March 2022. The lawsuit against Li-Cycle is the latest in the development of what is becoming an increasingly significant securities litigation phenomenon this year. A copy of the April 19, 2022 lawsuit against Li-Cycle can be found here.
Continue Reading After Short Seller Report, Lithium Battery Recycler Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit
Electric Aircraft Company Hit With SPAC-Related Securities Suit
In the latest SPAC-related securities suits filing, electric aviation company Lilium N.V. has been sued by an investor after a short-seller published a report questioning the company’s technological and regulatory readiness, its development prospects, and its financial resources. Lilium became a publicly traded company in September 2021, when it merged with Qell Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). This lawsuit is the latest in a series of securities class action lawsuits filed since the beginning of 2021 against post-SPAC-merger companies, as discussed below. A copy of the April 18, 2022 lawsuit against Lilium can be found here.
Continue Reading Electric Aircraft Company Hit With SPAC-Related Securities Suit
Two More Post-SPAC-Merger Companies Hit with Securities Suits
The pace of SPAC-related securities lawsuit filings recently has perceptibly increased. Earlier this week, I noted two SPAC-related securities class action lawsuits that had been filed in the preceding days. Following my publication of that earlier post, plaintiffs’ lawyers filed two more SPAC-related securities suits, adding to the growing numbers of SPAC-related securities suits that have been filed this year. As discussed below, the likelihood is that we will continue to see further SPAC-related securities suit filings in the months ahead.
Continue Reading Two More Post-SPAC-Merger Companies Hit with Securities Suits
Two More Post-SPAC-Merger Vehicle Technology Companies Get Hit With Securities Suits
Last week, the SEC introduced proposed disclosure guidelines for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) which, if ultimately finalized, will significantly alter the business, legal, and regulatory environment for SPACs and for their merger partners. In the meantime, plaintiffs’ lawyers continue to demonstrate their interest in pursuing claims against post-SPAC-merger operating companies. As discussed below, and in two more examples of what is already one of the most noteworthy securities litigation phenomena so far this year, last week plaintiffs’ lawyers filed two more SPAC-related securities class action lawsuits. As has been the case with many of the recent SPAC-related securities suits, both of the latest suits involve companies in the electric vehicle and smart vehicle industries.
Continue Reading Two More Post-SPAC-Merger Vehicle Technology Companies Get Hit With Securities Suits
SPAC-Related Securities Suit Filed Against Electric Vehicle Company
In the latest example of a SPAC-related securities class action lawsuit against a post-SPAC-merger company in the electric vehicle industry, a plaintiff shareholder has filed a securities suit against Electric Last Mile Solutions, Inc. an EV company that merged with a SPAC in June 2021. The lawsuit comes after the company announced the departure of its CEO and its Chairman and the need for the company to restate prior financial statements. A copy of the plaintiff’s February 3, 2022 complaint can be found here.
Continue Reading SPAC-Related Securities Suit Filed Against Electric Vehicle Company
SPAC-Related Securities Suit Dismissal Motion Substantially Denied
As I noted in my recent year-end wrap up, one of the top D&O stories of 2021 was the surge of SPAC-related securities litigation during the year. Most of these SPAC-related lawsuits have only just been filed, and it remains to be seen how they will fare. However, in a development that may represent an early sign concerning the prospects for these cases, on January 14, 2022, a federal district court substantially denied the motion to dismiss in the securities class action lawsuit filed last year against electric vehicle battery developer and manufacturer, QuantumScape. As discussed below, the court’s dismissal motion ruling has several noteworthy features. Northern District of California Judge William H. Orrick’s January 14, 2022 in the QuantumScape case can be found here.
Continue Reading SPAC-Related Securities Suit Dismissal Motion Substantially Denied
And Again: Another Post-SPAC Merger EV Company Hit with Securities Suit
As I have noted on this site (most recently here), electric vehicle companies that have merged with publicly traded SPACs have become a favored target for plaintiffs’ securities lawyers. In the latest example of this phenomenon, on December 23, 2021, a plaintiff shareholder filed a securities class action lawsuit against the EV company Faraday Future Intelligent Electric, Inc., which merged with a SPAC on July 21, 2021. Like many of the EV companies that have been sued, Faraday Future’s stock price dropped after it was the subject of a short seller report. A copy of the complaint against Faraday Future can be found here.
Continue Reading And Again: Another Post-SPAC Merger EV Company Hit with Securities Suit