Securities Litigation and Disclosure Issues
On July 8, 2025, Judge Nicholas Ranjan of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania denied a motion for judgment on the pleadings, allowing a putative securities class action to proceed against...more
On April 8, 2025, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the US District Court for the District of Maryland’s dismissal of all claims in Defeo et al. v. IonQ, Inc. et al., a securities class action asserting...more
Is a report by a short seller followed by a stock decline enough to plead securities fraud? This month, the Fourth Circuit considered this issue. In Defeo v. IonQ, Inc., a group of investors sued IonQ, a developer of quantum...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently joined a growing consensus among federal appellate courts: short-seller reports, without more, rarely suffice to plead loss causation under the federal...more
On March 20, 2018, the United States Supreme Court decided Cyan, Inc. v. Beaver County Employees Retirement Fund, in which it unanimously held that the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1998 does not strip state...more
On June 1, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the grant of summary judgment dismissing claims under Sections 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against a financial company and...more
Federal Reserve Hints at Government-Backed Cryptocurrency; Third Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Securities Fraud Class Action Against Shutterfly Inc. Regarding Allegedly Misleading Financial Projections; Ninth Circuit Holds...more
Ninth Circuit Holds Loss Causation May Be Predicated on Information Potentially Available Under Freedom of Information Act; D.C. Circuit Upholds FINRA’s Permanent Ban of Broker Accused of Misconduct After Finding SCOTUS...more