On July 23, 2025, Judge John P. Cronan of the Southern District of New York granted a motion to dismiss a putative securities class action brought against an artificial intelligence (AI) company (the “Company”) and certain of...more
Welcome to our ninth annual report on US securities class actions filed against publicly traded life sciences companies, which include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and healthcare companies....more
On January 16, 2025, Judge Trina L. Thompson of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted a motion to dismiss a securities action asserting claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the...more
On April 5, 2024, a jury found Matthew Panuwat civilly liable for insider trading in violation of federal securities laws in a first-of-its-kind “shadow trading” case (also referred to as “sympathy trading”), which was...more
Many publicly reporting companies often respond to lawsuits by characterizing them as “without merit” in their securities filings. If the company does not prevail in such litigation, can it still be held responsible for...more
On September 28, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced two settlements against public companies and individual charges against the former controller and chief accounting officer and the...more
SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has repeatedly touted his focus on “Main Street.” In doing so, he unleashed the Division of Enforcement’s Asset Management specialty unit on the investment advisory industry and finalized and...more
On March 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Lorenzo v. SEC,[i] affirming the expansive view of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) that, under the right circumstances,...more
In a significant ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the potential liability of those involved in disseminating material misrepresentations to potential investors—exposing them to primary liability under SEC Rule...more
In a 6 to 2 opinion Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to extend its holding in Janus Capital Grp., Inc. v. First Derivative Traders, 564 U.S. 135 (2011) beyond Exchange Act Rule 10b-5(b), and held that a person who...more
Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Chris Lazarini provided insight on a case in which the defendant appealed a verdict claiming the court abused its discretion and issued a “highly excessive” judgment when it ordered him to disgorge...more
For many years, the plaintiffs’ bar has been very active in bringing class action litigation against public companies immediately after the announcement of adverse news concerning a company, which many times triggers a...more
Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act, while seldom used in the past, has been increasingly used by institutional investors in suits against banks and other entities. The advantages of Section 18 are as follows...more