Avoiding the COVID-19 Wave of Securities Litigation

In recent decades, public corporations have been contending with an enhance in securities litigation and non-public corporations have been contending with an enhance in Securities and Exchange Fee investigations. COVID-19 threatens to accelerate this development. Organization executives ought to be mindful to disclose any materials influence the pandemic is having on their small business to lessen the threat of so-known as “event-driven” securities litigation.  

In “event-driven” litigation, the litigation does not come up from an accounting restatement as a substitute, there is normally an “event” and a subsequent stock fall that plaintiffs allege has arisen from that celebration.

Some recent examples include litigation introduced against Chipotle and Johnson & Johnson. In Chipotle’s case, investors claimed that the corporation should have disclosed the circumstances surrounding food stuff-borne ailment outbreaks. In Johnson & Johnson’s case, investors claimed that the corporation intentionally hid that its talc and talcum powder solutions have been contaminated with asbestos.  

As the plaintiff’s bar is ever more creative in discovering means to carry securities litigation, what may possibly securities litigation with regard to COVID-19 look like? Two cases that have already been submitted provide some sign. 

Cruise line. A securities class motion was brought on behalf of a class consisting of all persons who bought or in any other case obtained the publicly traded securities of a cruise line from February 20, 2020, through March 12, 2020. It is alleged that the defendants built fake and/or deceptive statements and/or failed to disclose that: (one) the company was using gross sales ways of offering shoppers with unproven and/or blatantly fake statements about COVID-19 to entice shoppers to obtain cruises, as a result endangering the life of the two shoppers and crew members and (2) as a end result, defendants’ statements about the company’s small business and operations have been materially fake and deceptive and/or lacked a sensible basis at all applicable instances. 

Pharmaceutical company. A securities class action was introduced on behalf of all persons who bought or in any other case acquired the popular stock of a pharmaceutical corporation between February 14, 2020, and March 9, 2020 (the “class period”). It is alleged that during the class period, defendants capitalized on common COVID-19 fears by falsely saying that the corporation had developed a vaccine for COVID-19.  

In the initial matter, plaintiffs are searching for to hold the defendants liable for allegedly offering shoppers with unproven statements or lies about COVID-19 to enhance small business. In the next matter, plaintiffs are searching for to hold the defendants liable for allegedly lying about their skill and timeframe to produce a vaccine for COVID-19.  

Both contain alleged carry out by the defendants that has a quite specific url to COVID-19. Future securities litigation may consist of matters that come up from failure to adhere to advice issued by the SEC. 

In advice issued on March twenty five, 2020, the SEC’s division of corporation finance said that it is monitoring how corporations are disclosing the effects and challenges of COVID-19 on their corporations, economical problem, and benefits of operations. Questions that the SEC asked corporations to take into consideration incorporated, but have been not constrained to: 

(one) How has COVID-19 impacted your economical problem and the benefits of operations?  In mild of changing tendencies and the over-all economic outlook, how do you be expecting COVID-19 to influence your potential running benefits and in close proximity to-and-very long-phrase economical problem?  Do you be expecting that COVID-19 will influence potential operations otherwise than how it affected the latest period? 

Based mostly on the advice offered by the SEC, it is not tricky to consider securities litigation becoming filed from corporations that know COVID-19 will negatively impact gross sales but do not share that information and facts with the community in an expedient fashion.

(2) How has COVID-19 impacted your funds and economical resources, such as your over-all liquidity placement and outlook?   

(3) How do you be expecting COVID-19 to have an effect on property on your harmony sheet and your skill to well timed account for individuals property?   

(4) Do you foresee any materials impairments (e.g., with respect to goodwill, intangible property, very long-lived property, proper of use property, financial investment securities), boosts in allowances for credit score losses, restructuring fees, other bills, or changes in accounting judgments that have experienced or are fairly very likely to have a materials influence on your economical statements? 

(five) Have COVID-19-connected instances this kind of as remote function preparations adversely affected your skill to manage operations, such as economical reporting programs, internal control over economical reporting, and disclosure controls and processes?   

(6) Have you experienced problems in employing small business continuity plans or do you foresee requiring materials expenditures to do so?   

(seven) Do you be expecting COVID-19 to materially have an effect on the desire for your solutions or products and services? 

(eight) Do you foresee a materials adverse influence of COVID-19 on the offer chain or the approaches applied to distribute your solutions or products and services?   

(9) Are vacation restrictions and border closures anticipated to have a materials influence on your skill to operate and achieve small business plans? 

The SEC encouraged corporations to disclose information that make it possible fors investors to evaluate the latest and anticipated influence of COVID-19 by the eyes of management and to proactively revise and update disclosures as points and instances alter. 

The SEC also reminded corporations that they can use the risk-free harbors in Part 27A of the Securities Act and Part 21E of the Exchange Act by offering ahead-wanting information and facts in an work to retain investors educated about materials developments, such as regarded tendencies or uncertainties about COVID-19. 

Therefore, based on the advice offered by the SEC, it is not tricky to consider securities litigation becoming filed from corporations that know COVID-19 will negatively impact gross sales but do not share that information and facts with the community in an expedient fashion.  

Securities litigation could also be submitted from corporations that know that small business operations are likely to be materially negatively affected by the economical influence of social distancing and/or the skill to get the elements needed to make or distribute their solutions or products and services, but do not make that information community expertise in a well timed manner. 

The SEC may also examine corporations and persons who act in this kind of a fashion as explained previously mentioned, especially if there is proof of persons trading in the company’s securities prior to the community dissemination of materials information and facts. These potential investigations may possibly not be constrained to community corporations.  

The dealings of non-public corporations and their executives have become an amplified region of concentration for the SEC, especially with respect to precise and opportunity investors. As the SEC has the authority to examine all corporations that find to elevate funds from U.S. investors, non-public corporations would be sensible to adhere to the SEC’s advice as properly. 

As the problems in these unprecedented instances proceed to evolve, community and non-public corporations need to provide materials information and facts to their investors and potential investors as it unfolds and make confident to update individuals disclosures as the points and circumstances about their corporations change. Failure to do so may possibly end result in securities litigation and investigations by the SEC.  

To support lessen this threat on a pre-assert basis and with any promises that may possibly come up from COVID-19, it is important for insurance plan brokers and their community and non-public corporation shoppers to function with a carrier that can provide administrators’ and officers’ insurance coverage and has an expert claims crew that is closely watching COVID-19’s impact on securities litigation and SEC investigations. 

Timothy Vazquez is assistant vice president, claims practice leader-directors & officers, of QBE North America. 

COVID-19, SEC, securities litigation