December 05, 2017
Two well-known law professors on Monday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to provide clarity on the standard for certifying securities fraud class actions, joining Petrobras in its bid to have the justices review the certification of a class of investors who claim the oil giant committed fraud by concealing information about a massive kickback scheme.
July 24, 2017
Brazilian oil giant Petrobras and several banks that underwrote its debt securities asked the Second Circuit on Friday to rehear a decision that decertified two investor class actions but affirmed part of a certification order, saying the circuit conflicted with U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
July 11, 2017
The Second Circuit set a particularly high bar for investors bringing securities class actions against foreign companies, decertifying two classes claiming Brazilian oil giant Petrobras concealed a massive bribery scheme, but experts said the news isn't all bad for plaintiff shareholders as the court also rejected two strict legal standards.
July 07, 2017
The Second Circuit on Friday decertified two investor class actions claiming Brazilian oil giant Petrobras concealed billions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, saying U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff committed legal error when weighing the classes' common questions against those of individual members.
January 02, 2017
Court watchers in New York and elsewhere will enter the new year with plenty of Empire State action to keep an eye on, from key Second Circuit decisions on class actions and out-of-court restructurings, to high-profile trials of former Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP executives and notorious pharma entrepreneur Martin Shkreli — the state's reputation as a business-litigation hot spot isn’t going away anytime soon. Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest New York cases practitioners will be paying close attention to in 2017.
November 02, 2016
Attorneys for Petrobras and banks that underwrote its debt securities urged the Second Circuit to overturn U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff's ruling certifying investors' class action over losses from the oil firm's corruption scandal, saying his mistakes in the closely watched case could have a broad impact on U.S. securities law.
September 02, 2016
A group of securities law professors have urged the Second Circuit to rule that Petroleo Brasileiro SA holds the burden in its class certification appeal in proving that investors did not rely on alleged misstatements and omissions concerning billions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.
July 29, 2016
U.S. securities and industry groups urged the Second Circuit on Thursday to undo class certification in a shareholder suit against Petroleo Brasileiro SA, saying the ruling would let U.S. courts interfere with international securities laws and make it easier for investors to allege fraud.
July 22, 2016
A group of financial institutions that includes JPMorgan Chase Inc., Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. urged the Second Circuit on Thursday to toss out a class certification in a New York shareholder suit against Petroleo Brasileiro SA, saying that it's impossible to determine who is in the class.
July 11, 2016
Petroleo Brasileiro SA investors have requested that the Second Circuit deny the oil giant's bid to pause shareholder litigation, saying it would be "wasteful" to stay their class action pending a certification appeal due to parallel individual actions that will proceed anyway.