As we ease into the final two weeks of the year, it seems likely that just about all of the securities class action lawsuits that are going to be filed this year have already been filed. Sure, one or two more may slip in yet, so it is not quite time for the final analysis of the year’s filings. But with the year just about done, there are some trends that already seem clear. One is the increased numbers of IPO-related securities lawsuits, which I recently noted here. Another securities class action filing trend is the heightened level of securities suit filing activity involving non-U.S. companies. The number of securities suit filings against non-U.S. companies during the year was both above historical levels and disproportionately greater than the number of foreign companies whose shares are listed on U.S. exchanges.
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A Burst Dam in Brazil, a U.S. Securites Lawsuit, and a Heap of Current Litigation Trends
On December 7, 2015, in a complaint that reflects a number of current U.S. securities class action lawsuit filing trends, a plaintiff securityholder filed a securities class action lawsuit in the Southern District of New York under the U.S. securities laws against the Brazilian mining giant Vale, S.A. and two of its officers. The complaint relates to the massive dam failure that occurred on November 5, 2015 near Mariana, in the Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The failed dam is the property of Samarco Mineração, S.A., a joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton. The securities suit plaintiff claims that the Vale defendants made misleading statements about the company’s safety and environmental standards and risk management, as well as about the spill itself.
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2015 YTD Securities Suit Filings Reflect Increased Numbers of IPO-Related Lawsuits
Though the number of IPOs completed so far this year is below the elevated levels evidenced during 2014 and 2013, IPO activity still remains above 2008-2012 levels. As a direct reflection of the higher number of IPOs completed during the period 2013-15, we are also now seeing an increase in the numbers of IPO-related securities lawsuit filings. IPO-related suits were an important part of the 2014 securities class action lawsuit filings, and they represent an even more significant part of 2015 YTD securities suit filings.
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Litigation Funding Firm to Close Its Doors
One of the most significant recent developments in the commercial litigation arena has been the recent rise of litigation funding. Though it remains controversial in some quarters, litigation funding is, in the words of a recent Above the Law post, “here to stay.” One reason that litigation funding is likely to remain an important factor in the litigation environment is that litigation funding in general has proven to be a lucrative investment, as I have previously noted (here). But while litigation funding in general may be profitable, that does not mean that investment success is assured. Indeed, while there are several very successful litigation funding firms, other firms have stumbled.
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Delaware Merger Objection Lawsuit Filings Decline in Response to Chancery Court’s Rejection of Disclosure-Only Settlements
As I have noted in recent posts, several members of the Delaware Court of Chancery have made it clear that they are increasingly skeptical of disclosure-only settlements in merger objection lawsuits. It now appears that the Chancery Court rulings are starting to have an impact at the supply end of the food chain; according to a recent analysis by The Chancery Daily, the number of new merger objection lawsuit filings in the Delaware Chancery Court has begun to drop in response the Chancery Court’s rulings. The publication reported what it observed to be during October and November 2015 a “pronounced decline in the number of class action complaints filed compared to prior months in the year 2015.” The Chancery Daily’s November 13, 2015 blog post discussing its analysis can be found here. Alison Frankel’s November 16, 2015 post on her On the Case blog discussing the recent filing trends can be found here.
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Uptick in Securities Suits Against U.S.-Listed Chinese Companies
Long-time readers of this blog will recall that in 2011, there was a rash of U.S. securities class action lawsuits filed against U.S.-listed Chinese companies. Many of these companies had obtained their U.S.-listings by way of a reverse merger with a U.S.-listed public shell. The 39 securities suits filed in 2011 against U.S.-listed Chinese companies represented 18% of all securities class action lawsuits filed in the U.S. that year. While the number of lawsuit filed against Chinese reverse-merger companies has abated since the peak in 2011, U.S. securities lawsuits continue to be filed against Chinese companies at a significant rate.
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Money Laundering Allegations and Follow-On Securities Litigation
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress enacted or expanded a number of laws regarding the global financial system in order to combat money laundering and promote national security. As I have noted in prior post (most recently here), regulatory enforcement activity under these laws represents a potentially significant new area of potential D&O exposure. In addition, as a recently filed securities class action lawsuit shows, alleged violations of these financial controls not only can lead to regulatory action by federal regulators but may also lead to private civil litigation.
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What to Watch Now in the World of D&O
Every year just after Labor Day, I take a step back and survey the most important current trends and developments in the world of Directors’ and Officers’ liability and D&O insurance. This year’s survey is set out below. Once again, there are a host of things worth watching in the world of D&O.
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The Developing Phenomenon of Trade Sanction-Related Follow-On Civil Litigation
In the latest example of a case where alleged violations of U.S. trade sanction laws have led to a follow-on civil lawsuit, on July 28, 2015, a plaintiff shareholder filed a securities class action lawsuit against VASCO Data Security International and certain of its directors and officers. The lawsuit follows the company’s announcement that it has self-reported a possible violation of federal prohibitions against sales of goods to parties in Iran. A copy of the plaintiff’s complaint can be found here.
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Cornerstone Research Releases Midyear Securities Litigation Report
The number of federal securities class action lawsuit filings in the first half of 2015 was above the number of securities suits in the first half of 2014, although below long-term semiannual averages, according to the latest report from Cornerstone Research. The report, entitled “Securities Class Action Filings: 2015 Midyear Assessment,” can be found here. Cornerstone Research’s July 30, 2015 press release about the report can be found here. My own analysis of the first half securities class action lawsuit filings can be found here.
It is very important to note that while the Cornerstone Research study reports a decline in the absolute number of securities class action lawsuit filings, the rate of securities litigation relative to the number of U.S.-listed companies remains elevated compared to historical levels. As discussed below, though the absolute number of filings is down, the likelihood that any given U.S.-listed company will get hit with a securities lawsuit is actually up compared to long-term averages.
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