An important recurring issue is the questions whether the prior filing of a securities class action lawsuit tolls the applicable statute of repose under the federal securities laws. In an important June 27, 2013, the Second Circuit issued an important decision on this question, holding that the tolling doctrine does not apply to three-year statue
BP Deepwater Horizon Derivative Suit Dismissed in Favor of English Forum
A wave of litigation followed in the wake of the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Among this litigation were several shareholder derivative suits filed against certain directors and officers of BP and of its U.S. subsidiary. At the time these cases first arose, I asked whether or not these suits involving (and ultimately for the
Supreme Court Grants Cert in Yet Another Securities Case
Years from now, when the history of the Roberts Court is finally written, I hope that the historians will be able to explain why during the first dozen years of the 21st century, the U.S. Supreme Court seemed so eager to take up securities cases. But whatever the reason, on June 27, 2011, on
When is a Securities Suit Stale?
When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling earlier this year in the Merck case pertaining to the question of what triggers the running of the statute of limitations in securities cases, there was some speculation that the decision might encourage an influx of cases involving events from the distant past. There really have not
U.S. Supreme Court Allows Merck Vioxx Securities Suit to Proceed
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court held on April 27, 2010 that the shareholder lawsuit arising from Merck’s alleged misrepresentations regarding Vioxx is not time-barred by the applicable statute of limitations. A copy of the Court’s opinion can be found here.
Background
In an action filed in November 6, 2003, the plaintiffs had contended that
Supreme Court Grants Cert in Merck: Is This a Big Deal?
Relatively few securities lawsuits make it to the U.S. Supreme Court, so for that reason alone it is a noteworthy development that on May 26, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court granted Merck’s petition for a writ of certiorari in the securities class action lawsuit relating to the company’s disclosures about Vioxx, the pain medication