One of the significant contributing factors to the total number of securities class action lawsuit filings in 2022 was the number of SPAC-related securities suits filed during the year. However, while there were a significant number of SPAC-related suits filed in 2022, the number of SPAC-related suit filings declined as the year progressed, to the point that it was not clear whether the phenomenon would continue into 2023. As it has turned out, the plaintiffs’ lawyers have continued to file SPAC-related suits this year. In the latest example, on May 12, 2023, a plaintiff shareholder filed a securities suit against energy storage services provider Stem, Inc., which merged with a SPAC in April 2021. This latest filing shows that the SPAC-related suits continue to be filed and that the suits continue to be a factor in the total overall number of securities suit filings.

Continue Reading Energy Services Company Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit

In two dismissal motion grants last week in pending SPAC-related securities suits, the respective courts’ rulings could have potential significance for other pending or prospective SPAC-related cases. The January 10, 2023, ruling in the SPAC-related suit involving DraftKings has important implications for the many pending SPAC-related cases based on short seller reports, and the January 11, 2023, ruling in the Lucid case has potential implications for SPAC-related securities suits based on alleged pre-merger misrepresentations. The two rulings and their potential significance are discussed below.

Continue Reading SPAC-Related Securities Suit Dismissals Could Be Significant for Other Cases

Although there have been literally dozens of SPAC-related securities class action lawsuits filed since January 1, 2021, in recent months the pace of filing of these lawsuits has noticeably slowed. After an extended period when many of these suits were filed each month, during the period since May 31, 2022 only three of these suits have been filed. However, this past week, a SPAC-related  securities lawsuits was filed against Core Scientific, a digital mining company that merged with a SPAC in January 2022. As discussed below, this latest filed lawsuit has several interesting features. A copy of the complaint filed against Core Scientific can be found here.
Continue Reading Digital Asset Mining Company Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit

In the latest SPAC-related securities class action lawsuit filing, a plaintiff shareholder has filed a securities suit against IonQ, a quantum computing company that became a publicly traded company in September 2021 through a merger with a publicly traded SPAC. As is the case with many of the SPAC-related securities suits, the new lawsuit against IonQ follows the publication of a critical short-seller report about the company and its technology. A copy of the complaint, filed on May 31, 2022, can be found here.
Continue Reading Quantum Computing Company Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit After Short-Seller Report

In a new lawsuit that closely mirrors the features of many recent SPAC-related securities lawsuits, and that indeed almost entirely replicates the most recent suits, a plaintiff shareholder has initiated a securities class action against Canadian-based lithium battery recycler, Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. Li-Cycle completed a merger with a publicly traded SPAC in August 2021 and was the subject of a short-seller report in March 2022. The lawsuit against Li-Cycle is the latest in the development of what is becoming an increasingly significant securities litigation phenomenon this year. A copy of the April 19, 2022 lawsuit against Li-Cycle can be found here.
Continue Reading After Short Seller Report, Lithium Battery Recycler Hit with SPAC-Related Securities Suit

In the latest SPAC-related securities suits filing, electric aviation company Lilium N.V. has been sued by an investor after a short-seller published a report questioning the company’s technological and regulatory readiness, its development prospects, and its financial resources. Lilium became a publicly traded company in September 2021, when it merged with Qell Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). This lawsuit is the latest in a series of securities class action lawsuits filed since the beginning of 2021 against post-SPAC-merger companies, as discussed below. A copy of the April 18, 2022 lawsuit against Lilium can be found here.
Continue Reading Electric Aircraft Company Hit With SPAC-Related Securities Suit

In the latest post-SPAC-merger securities class action lawsuit, a plaintiff shareholder has filed a securities suit against a rare earth mining and processing company that completed a SPAC merger in November 2020. Like many SPAC-related securities suits that have been filed in recent months, the lawsuit follows a drop in the company’s share prices following a negative short-seller report. A copy of the February 22, 2022 lawsuit against MP Materials Corp. can be found here.
Continue Reading Mining Company Hit with Post-SPAC-Merger Securities Suit After Short Seller Report

As I have noted on this site (most recently here), many of the SPAC-related securities class action lawsuits filed in 2021 arose after the target company’s share price declined following a short-seller report. In the following guest post, Nessim Mezrahi, Stephen Sigrist, and Carolina Doherty review the extent to which plaintiffs’ lawyers generally are relying on short-seller research to try to substantiate fraud-on-the-market claims.  Mezrahi is cofounder and CEO, Sigrist is VP of data science, and Doherty is VP of business development at SAR. A version of this article previously was published on Law360. I would like to thank the authors 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 blog’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is the authors’ article.
Continue Reading Guest Post: More Securities Class Actions May Rely On Short-Seller Data

As I noted in my recent year-end wrap up, one of the top D&O stories of 2021 was the surge of SPAC-related securities litigation during the year. Most of these SPAC-related lawsuits have only just been filed, and it remains to be seen how they will fare. However, in a development that may represent an early sign concerning the prospects for these cases, on January 14, 2022, a federal district court substantially denied the motion to dismiss in the securities class action lawsuit filed last year against electric vehicle battery developer and manufacturer, QuantumScape. As discussed below, the court’s dismissal motion ruling has several noteworthy features. Northern District of California Judge William H. Orrick’s January 14, 2022 in the QuantumScape case can be found here.
Continue Reading SPAC-Related Securities Suit Dismissal Motion Substantially Denied

As I have noted on this site (most recently here), electric vehicle companies that have merged with publicly traded SPACs have become a favored target for plaintiffs’ securities lawyers. In the latest example of this phenomenon, on December 23, 2021, a plaintiff shareholder filed a securities class action lawsuit against the EV company Faraday Future Intelligent Electric, Inc., which merged with a SPAC on July 21, 2021. Like many of the EV companies that have been sued, Faraday Future’s stock price dropped after it was the subject of a short seller report. A copy of the complaint against Faraday Future can be found here.
Continue Reading And Again: Another Post-SPAC Merger EV Company Hit with Securities Suit