Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Second Circuit Addresses Collective Scienter

By Edward J. Fuhr, Terence J. Rasmussen, and Steven M. Haas
September 26, 2008

The Second Circuit recently issued an important decision in Teamsters Local 445 Freight Div. Pension Fund v. Dynex Capital Inc., 531 F.3d 190 (2d Cir. 2008) (“Dynex“), which has significant implications for securities class action litigation and the continuing fallout from the crisis in the credit markets. The decision addressed the issue of collective scienter, or whether a corporation can commit securities fraud when none of its individual agents acted with fraudulent intent.

The court rejected the expansive doctrine of collective scienter urged by the plaintiff and held that the plaintiff had failed to satisfy the heightened pleading requirements of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“Reform Act”). In particular, the court held that the inference of fraud urged by the plaintiff was weaker than the competing inference that the poor performance of certain asset-backed securities was the result of general market malaise. The opinion should prove significant in the many subprime mortgage and other lawsuits that have been filed in the wake of the ongoing credit crisis.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs Image

A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.

Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.