Acting as co-lead counsel in this class action, the firm represented the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund, which was one of the co-lead plaintiffs in the case. In September 2010, as a result of Plaintiffs’ decision to appeal, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated in part the lower court’s dismissal of the case and remanded the case for further proceedings. In overturning the District Court decision, the Second Circuit issued a decision that differentiated between a forecast or a forward-looking statement accompanied by cautionary language -- which the Appellate Court said would be insulated from liability under the bespeaks caution doctrine -- from a factual statement, or non-forward-looking statement, for which liability may exist. Importantly, the Second Circuit accepted Plaintiffs’ position that where a statement is mixed, the court can sever the forward-looking aspect of the statement from the non-forward looking aspect. The Court further stated that statements or omissions as to existing operations (and present intentions as to future operations) are not protected by the bespeaks caution doctrine. Mediation followed this decision and ultimately resulted in a settlement comprised of $90 million in cash following confirmatory discovery in the case.
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