As noted in prior posts on this site, trouble recently has been brewing in the private credit market. Borrower defaults have led to bankruptcies, civil lawsuits, and even criminal indictments. D&O litigation has now arrived on the lender side as well, as earlier this week an investor filed a securities class
The filing of AI-Washing related securities suits is by now a well-established phenomenon. But a securities suit filed earlier this week presents an interesting new variant on this phenomenon. The new lawsuit alleges that the defendant company used the announcement of a supposed AI-related “collaboration” with Microsoft allegedly to “pump” the company’s share price just before disclosing an at-the-market private placement. As discussed below, the new lawsuit is just the latest in a recent series of securities class action lawsuits alleging share price pumping schemes.Continue Reading Securities Suit Alleges AI-Washing Stock Price “Pump”
In the following guest post, Sarah Abrams, Head of Claims Baleen Specialty, a division of Bowhead Specialty, takes a look at the way in which companies’ operations and disclosures about safety issues can translate into securities litigation. I would like to thank Sarah for allowing me to publish her article as a guest post on this site. Here is Sarah’s article.Continue Reading Guest Post: Rollercoaster
There’s lots to worry about as we enter the New Year, not least a newly emboldened and militarily active U.S. There are also things to worry about in the financial markets, even as the various indices trade at or near record levels. Much of the recent run-up in market valuations is due to investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI). Some commentators worry that the current investor AI enthusiasm may prove to be a bubble – that is, that valuations have gotten out of whack and that infrastructure investment have run far ahead of any possible (or profitable) need. Some (including me) are concerned that things could get messy if investors sour on AI or lose confidence or patience.
One of the possible consequences from an AI bubble burst could be a wave of corporate and securities litigation. A lawsuit filed earlier this week against the start-up AI energy support company Fermi, which just completed an IPO in October, may suggest what post AI-bubble litigation might look like. A copy of the complaint can be found here.Continue Reading Worried About a Possible AI Bubble Burst?
The directors’ and officers’ liability environment is always changing, but 2025 was a particularly eventful year, with important consequences for the D&O insurance marketplace. The past year’s many developments also have significant implications for what may lie ahead in 2026 – and possibly for years to come. I have set out below the Top Ten D&O Stories of 2025, with a focus on future implications. Please note that on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 11:00 am EST, my colleagues Marissa Streckfus, Chris Bertola, and I will be conducting a free, hour-long webinar in which we will discuss The Top Ten D&O Stories of 2025. Registration for the webinar can be found here. Please join us for the webinar.Continue Reading The Top Ten D&O Stories of 2025
After two consecutive years in which the annual number of federal court securities class action lawsuit filings increased, the number of federal court securities class action lawsuit filings decreased slightly in 2025 compared to 2024, to the lowest level since 2022. The number of federal court securities class action suit filings during past year reflected the impact of several ongoing securities lawsuit filings trends, such as the new lawsuit filings relating to artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrencies. The slight decline in the annual number of filings reflects the diminishing impact of certain long-term trends that waned during the year, as discussed below. Continue Reading Federal Court Securities Suit Filings Declined Slightly in 2025
The possibility of a securities class action lawsuit being filed against a company after it experiences a data breach is a long-standing risk. For most of 2025, there were relatively few of these kinds of suits filed, at least compared to recent years. However, last week, two different companies – the e-commerce firm Coupang and the application security firm F5 – were each hit with new cybersecurity-related securities class action lawsuits. The new lawsuits have several interesting features, as discussed below, and at a minimum underscore the fact that the threat of these kinds of cybersecurity suits is ongoing.Continue Reading Two Tech Companies Hit with Data Breach-Related Securities Suits
As readers of this blog know, in recent months there have been a number of AI-related corporate and securities suits filed against companies and their executives (as discussed, for example, here). In general, these suits have mostly involved “AI-washing” allegations – that is, allegations that the defendant company misrepresented its AI-related prospects or capabilities. More recently, however, the cases increasingly have involved allegations not that the defendant company overstated its AI-related opportunities, but rather understated its AI-related risks.
Last week, in the latest example of this type of suit, a plaintiff shareholder filed a derivative suit against executives of the digital ad tracking firm DoubleVerify, alleging that the defendants had caused the company to omit to disclose that AI-related developments were undercutting the company’s revenues. A copy of the derivative suit complaint can be found here.Continue Reading Digital Ad Analytic Firm Hit With AI-Related Disclosure Suit
AI-related news dominates the business pages these days. Many companies increasingly are adapting their business processes to incorporate AI-related operations, and an growing number of companies are adjusting their business strategies to accommodate AI. While these changes present a host of opportunities, they also involve risks. A securities lawsuit recently filed against the integrated circuit (IC) design software company Synopsys shows how these kinds of AI-related risks can translate into securities litigation. In the complaint, the company is alleged to have understated the additional customization requirements that its customers’ AI-adapted operations would entail. A copy of the October 31, 2025, complaint can be found here.Continue Reading AI-Related Securities Suit Filed Against IC Design Software Firm
As this blog’s readers know, AI is not only an emerging technological phenomenon it is also a potentially disruptive source of D&O risk and liability. In the following guest post, Emma Bailey and James Parsons, take a look at the contours of the developing AI-related D&O risk and discuss the implications. Emma is Senior Underwriter, Commercial Management Liability, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, London, and James is Senior Claims Examiner, Executive & Professional Liability, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, London. I would like to thank James and Emma for allowing me to publish their article as a guest post on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this site’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is the authors’ article.Continue Reading Guest Post: Is AI Reshaping D&O Litigation?