The number of federal court securities class action lawsuit filings increased in 2024 for the second year in a row, to the highest level since 2020. The increased number of federal court securities suit filings during the past year is due to several factors, including continuing filings relating to ongoing trends such as new lawsuit filings relating to SPACs, COVID-related suits, and cryptocurrencies, as discussed further below.Continue Reading Federal Court Securities Class Action Lawsuit Filings Increased in 2024

As has been well-documented, the United States in the middle of an “epidemic” involving the abuse of prescription and non-prescription opioids. The companies that manufacture and distribute these drugs have been hit with a “barrage” of lawsuits, filed by states, counties, and cities. Just last week, the state of Arizona filed a lawsuit against a drug company alleging that the company had fraudulently marketed a powerful opioid painkiller.  As this lawsuit wave has grown, shareholders and others have also climbed on the litigation bandwagon. In recent days, shareholders have filed a series of lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors and their directors and officers. Just as the number of lawsuits filed by governmental entities seems likely to continue to grow, the number of investor suits against opioid drug companies seems likely to grow as well.
Continue Reading Securities Suits Hit Opioid Drug Companies

life sciencesIn the Bard’s timeless words, what’s past is prologue. And in that same vein, many of the last year’s most pronounced securities class action lawsuit filing trends are already showing signs of strong continuity in the early days of the New Year. As shown in my recent annual securities class action lawsuit filings analysis, by year-end, a record number of securities suits had been filed during 2016, with life sciences companies among the most frequent lawsuit targets. We are only just a few days into 2017, but these securities suit filings trends already appear to be continuing in the New Year, as so far this year both the continued strong filing pace and the heightened levels of securities suit activity involving life sciences companies are already appear to be well-established.
Continue Reading Early 2017 Securities Suit Filings Show Continued Active Pace, Life Sciences Focus

Considered on an absolute basis, securities class action lawsuit filings were up about nine percent in 2013 compared to 2012, although the number of 2013 lawsuits was about 13 percent below annual filings averages for the years 1996-2012, according to a new report from Cornerstone Research and the Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse.

The number of securities class action lawsuit filings was up slightly in 2013 compared to 2012, although the 2013 filings remained well below historical averages. While securities litigation picked up in 2013 compared to the year before, the more interesting question going forward is what the impact of the Halliburton case now pending before the