Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of Securities Fraud Claims Against Secondary Actors Because Alleged False Statements Were Not Attributed To Them

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Contact

In Pacific Investment Management Co. LLC v. Mayer Brown LLP, No. 09-1619, 2010 WL 1659230 (2d Cir. Apr. 27, 2010), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of securities fraud claims asserted against outside counsel to Refco Inc. (“Refco”), holding that such secondary actors can be held liable for damages in a private securities fraud action only if the alleged false or misleading statements are attributed to that secondary actor at the time the statements were disseminated. Without a showing of this so-called “attribution requirement,” secondary actors who participate in the preparation or creation of false statements can be guilty of no more than “aiding and abetting,” which under Central Bank of Denver, N.A. v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, N.A., 511 U.S. 164 (1994), cannot form the basis of a securities fraud claim. This decision confirms the Second Circuit’s strict application of Central Bank and Stoneridge Investment Partners, LLC v. Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., 552 U.S. 148 (2008), to limit securities fraud claims against secondary actors.

Please see full publication below for more information.

LOADING PDF: If there are any problems, click here to download the file.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

© Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP | Attorney Advertising

Written by:

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Contact
more
less

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP on:

Reporters on Deadline

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
Custom Email Digest
- hide
- hide