As noted in a recent guest post on this site (here), the SEC recently announced the so-called “Robocop” initiative to try to detect improper or fraudulent financial reporting. However, as the authors of the prior post explain in a second guest post below, the Robocop initiative is one of two efforts the agency
Takeover Litigation in 2013
One of the most distinctive corporate and securities litigation trend in recent years has been the surge in M&A-related litigation, with virtually every deal attracting at least one lawsuit. This trend continued again in 2013, according to a recently updated study from Notre Dame business professor Matthew Cain and Ohio State law professor Steven Davidoff.
Dump “Fraud on the Market” Yet Preserve Securities Plaintiffs’ Ability to Establish Reliance?
Since the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to revisit the “fraud on the market” theory by granting cert in the Halliburton case a few weeks ago, many commentators (including this blog) have considered whether the Court might wind up taking an intermediate position that addresses criticisms of the theory while preserving securities plaintiffs’ ability to
Securities Lawsuit Filings Up Slightly in 2013
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
Guest Post: Bankruptcy in Securities Class Actions: Case Outcomes, Individual Liability and Side A Protection
Of the different contexts within which securities class action lawsuits arise, one of the most significant is the bankruptcy context. As detailed in the following guest post from Michael Klausner and Jason Hegland of Stanford Law School, securities class action lawsuit arising in bankruptcy are different from cases involving solvent companies. Their guest post provides
First the Regulatory Investigation, Then the Securities Suit
It is nothing new for private securities litigation to follow in the wake of a company’s announcement that it is the target of an SEC investigation. Similarly, civil litigation following after a company’s announcement of the existence of an FCPA investigation is a phenomenon I have frequently noted on this blog. A number of these
Guest Post: “Robocop” on the Beat:What the SEC’s New Financial Reporting and AQM Initiative May Mean for Public Companies
With the arrival of the new Chair of the SEC, Mary Jo White, the agency has undertaken a variety of new enforcement initiatives. Among the most interesting is the agency use of data anallytics to try to uncover public company accouunting abuses. The following guest post from Christopher L. Garcia, Paul Ferrillo of the
Shareholders Obtain $882 Million Default Judgment in Longtop Financial Securities Suit
During the period 2010 to 2012, plaintiffs’ lawyers rushed to file a wave of securities suits against U.S.-listed Chinese companies. In general, the cases filed as part of this wave that have reached the settlement stage have settled for relatively modest amounts. However, at least one of these cases has now resulted in an absolutely
SEC Releases Fiscal 2013 Whistleblower Report
Whistleblower reports to the SEC continued to rise during the latest fiscal year, according to the agency’s annual Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program report to Congress. According to the November 15, 2013 report, a copy of which can be found here, there were 3,238 whistleblower reports to the SEC during the 2013 fiscal year, brining the
Game Changer? The U.S. Supreme Court to Revisit “Fraud on the Market” Presumption
In a development that has the potential to change the way private securities suits in the United States are litigated, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case in which the petitioners seek to have the Court revisit the “fraud on the market” presumption. The presumption allows plaintiffs in securities suits under