securities class action litigation

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cornerstone reserach pdfThe 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.
Continue Reading Cornerstone Research Releases Midyear Securities Litigation Report

seventhcircuitsealOn October 17, 2013, when Northern District of Illinois Judge Ronald Guzman entered a $2.46 billion judgment for the plaintiffs in the long-running Household International securities class action lawsuit, it was according to statements at the time the largest judgment ever in a securities fraud trial. However, on May 21, 2015, the Seventh Circuit…

stock pricesIn its June 2014 opinion in the Halliburton case, the U.S. Supreme Court held that securities lawsuit defendants may introduce evidence at the class certification stage to try to show that the alleged misrepresentation on which the plaintiffs rely did not impact the defendant company’s share price. To show the absence of price impact, defendants…

pwc3On April 10, 2015, PwC released the latest in what is now a series of annual securities class action litigation reports. PwC’s report is generally consistent with the reports previously published by Cornerstone Research and NERA. What makes the PwC report noteworthy is its commentary on the trends the report’s authors believe could contribute to…

cornerstone reserach pdfThe number of securities class action lawsuit filings raising accounting allegations rose by 47 percent in 2014 compared to the prior year, according to a new report from Cornerstone Research. The March 31, 2015 report, entitled “Accounting Class Action Filings and Settlements: 2014 Review and Analysis,” can be found here. Cornerstone Research’s March 31,…

kaganIn a March 24, 2015 opinion in Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers District Council Construction Industry Pension Fund (here), the U.S. Supreme Court set aside the Sixth Circuit’s ruling that allegations of “objective falsity” were sufficient to make a statement of opinion in securities offering documents actionable. The Supreme Court remanded the case to…

cornerstone reserach pdfThe aggregate amount of all securities class action settlements during 2014 declined to the lowest level in years and there also was a “dramatic” decrease in the average securities suit settlement amount during the year, according to a March 24, 2014 report from Cornerstone Research. The report, which is entitled “Securities Class Action Settlements: 2014…

lifesciencesLife sciences companies are “an increasingly popular target” of securities class action lawsuits, according to the annual securities litigation survey from the David A. Kotler of the Dechert law firm. According to the March 16, 2015 report, entitled “Dechert Survery of Securities Fraud Class Actions Brought Against U.S. Life Sciences Companies,” the number of 2014…

NERAThe number of securities class action filings in 2014 was level with recent years’ filings but the number and dollar value of settlements during the year plunged, according to the latest annual report from NERA Economic Consulting. This year’s report is quite detailed and contains a number of new analyses of lawsuit filings and case …