In a February 8, 2014 article entitled “A Shrunken Giant” (here), the Economist magazine examined BP’s efforts to regain its footing after the disastrous April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The article concludes by stating that “Repairing the balance sheet and books is one thing. Repairing BP’s reputation for management
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Credit Crisis Residue: Economic Problems and Litigation Both Grind On
As the most dramatic evens from the financial crisis recede into the past, there is an urge to consign the downturn to the pages of history, But the banking crisis in Cyprus earlier this week, along with persistent unemployment in this country and elsewhere, show that, as much as we would all like to turn…
Internal Control Misrepresentations Alone Held Sufficient to State a Securities Claim
Securities class action plaintiffs often allege that the defendants’ statements about their company’s internal controls are misleading. Typically, these internal control-related allegations are made in connection with allegations of accounting misrepresentations, as the plaintiffs contend that the alleged internal control deficienciesp allowed the accounting errors behind alleged accounting misrepresentations.
In a November 7, 2012…
Failed Bank-Related Securities Lawsuits: A Dismissal and A Settlement
One of the ways in which the current wave of bank failures is different from the failures during the S&L crisis is that this time around, by comparison to that prior period, a number of the bank closures have been accompanied by shareholder lawsuits brought against the former directors and officers of the failed institutions.
What Difference Does it Make that Paulson “Instructed” Lewis Not to Disclose the Fed Backstop of the BofA/Merrill Deal?
One of the most interesting aspects of the complicated sequence of events surrounding the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch merger is the suggestion that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson instructed BofA’s CEO Ken Lewis not to disclose to BofA shareholders that the government, in order to keep BofA from backing out of the deal, was backstopping BofA…
Ninth Circuit Rejects Securities Case Based on FCPA Disclosures
In a November 26, 2008 opinion (here), the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit asserting securities law violations against InVision and certain of its directors and officers based on FCPA-related disclosures. The case is noteworthy not only for its involvement of FCPA-related allegations, but also for the appellate court’s…
Appellate Action: Life Sciences Securities Lawsuits
The heightened susceptibility of life sciences companies to securities class action lawsuits is a phenomenon that I and others have previously noted (refer here). But while life sciences companies may experience greater securities class action claim frequency, many of these lawsuits against life sciences companies are dismissed (as discussed here).
In a case the…
First Circuit, Applying Tellabs, Reverses Securities Case Dismissal
When the United States Supreme Court issued its June 21, 2007 opinion in the Tellabs case, media commentators generally viewed it as a defense victory. My own view (expressed here), was that the decision represented more of a draw, and that the practical impact would vary from Circuit to Circuit. The suggestion that Tellabs…