NEW YORK, May 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of Volta, Inc. (NYSE: VLTA), Embark Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: EMBK), Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID), and AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE: ABBV). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.
Volta, Inc. (NYSE: VLTA)
Class Period: August 2, 2021 – March 28, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 31, 2022
On August 26, 2021, Volta Industries, Inc. (“Legacy Volta”), a private entity, and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company, completed a business combination pursuant to which the combined entity was named Volta Inc. (the “Business Combination”).
On March 2, 2022, after the market closed, Volta revealed that the financial impact of the restatement of its third quarter 2021 financial results was greater than previously disclosed, expecting to report a net loss of $69.7 million for the quarter. On this news, the Company’s share price fell $0.11, or 2.6%, to close at $4.01 per share on March 3, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.
Then, on March 21, 2022, Volta announced that it would reschedule its fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results. On this news, the Company’s share price fell $0.38, or 8.4% to close at $4.12 per share on March 21, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.
Then, on March 28, 2022, Volta announced that its founders, Scott Mercer and Christopher Wendel, had resigned from their positions as CEO and President, respectively, and from the Board of Directors of the Company. On this news, the Company’s share price fell $0.76, or 18%, to close at $3.37 per share on March 28, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.
The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Volta had improperly accounted for restricted stock units issued in connection with the Business Combination; (2) that, as a result, the Company had understated its net loss for third quarter 2021; (3) that there were material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that resulted in a material error; (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, the Company would restate its financial statements; (5) that, as a result of the foregoing, Legacy Volta’s founders would imminently exit the Company; (6) that, as a result, the Company’s financial results would be adversely impacted; and (7) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
For more information on the Volta class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/VLTA
Embark Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: EMBK)
Class Period: January 12, 2021 – January 5, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 31, 2022
Embark develops self-driving software solutions for the trucking industry in the U.S. The Company was originally a special purpose acquisition company, also called a blank-check company, which is a development stage company that has no specific business plan or purpose or has indicated its business plan is to engage in a merger or acquisition with an unidentified company or companies, other entity, or person.
On November 10, 2021, the Company consummated a merger transaction with Embark Trucks Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy Embark”), whereby, among other things, the Company changed its name from “Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. II” to “Embark Technology, Inc.” (the “Business Combination”).
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company had performed inadequate due diligence into Legacy Embark; (ii) Legacy Embark and the Company following the Business Combination held no patents and an insignificant amount of test trucks; (iii) accordingly, the Company had overstated its operational and technological capabilities; (iv) as a result of all the foregoing, the Company had overstated the business and financial prospects of the Company post-Business Combination; and (v) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On January 6, 2022, The Bear Cave published a short report entitled “Problems at Embark Technology (EMBK)” (the “Bear Cave Report”). The Bear Cave Report alleged, among other issues, “that Embark appears to lack true economic substance” and that its “current evaluation appears to be based on puffery rather than actual substance”, noting that “[t]he company holds no patents, has only a dozen or so test trucks, and may be more bark than bite.”
On this news, Embark’s stock price fell $1.37 per share, or 16.75%, to close at $6.81 per share on January 6, 2022.
For more information on the Embark class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/EMBK
Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID)
Class Period: November 15, 2021 – February 28, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 31, 2022
On February 28, 2022, Lucid disclosed that it had only delivered approximately 125 EVs in 2021 – 452 less than expected – and would only produce between 12,000 and 14,000 EVs in 2022, despite previous claims that it would produce 20,000. The Company also announced that it would delay the launch of its Lucid Gravity SUV from 2023 to 2024, citing “the extraordinary supply chain and logistics challenges” as the cause.
On this news, Lucid’s common stock fell $3.99, or 13.8%, to close at $24.99 per share on March 1, 2022, thereby injuring investors.
The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants overstated Lucid’s production capabilities while concealing that “extraordinary supply chain and logistics challenges” were hampering the Company’s operations from the start of the Class Period.
For more information on the Lucid class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/LCID
AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE: ABBV)
Class Period: April 30, 2021 – August 31, 2021
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 6, 2022
AbbVie is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. The company's revenues will come under significant pressure in the coming years when its best-selling drug, Humira, will lose patent protection in 2023. Accordingly, AbbVie's future revenue and earnings depend in large part on its ability to develop new sources of revenue to offset Humira's lost sales. Rinvoq—an anti-inflammatory drug manufactured by AbbVie and used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other diseases by inhibiting Janus kinase (JAK) enzymes—was touted as one such drug. Rinvoq was initially approved in the United States to treat only moderate to severe RA. However, AbbVie was actively pursuing additional treatment indications and, in 2020, asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve Rinvoq for the treatment of several other diseases.
As is relevant here, Rinvoq is similar to other JAK inhibitor drugs, including Xeljanz, manufactured by Pfizer Inc. When the FDA approved Xeljanz in 2012 for the treatment of RA, it required an additional safety trial to evaluate Xeljanz's risk of triggering certain serious side effects. Beginning in February 2019, the FDA repeatedly warned the public that the safety trial indicated that Xeljanz's use could lead to serious heart-related issue, cancer, and other adverse events. Notwithstanding the similarities between Rinvoq and Xeljanz, during the Class Period, Defendants assured investors that Rinvoq was far safer than Xeljanz and not subject to the same regulatory risks.
However, investors began to learn the truth about Rinvoq's significant risks on June 25, 2021, when AbbVie revealed that the FDA was delaying its review of expanded treatment applications for Rinvoq due to the safety concerns associated with Xeljanz. On this news, the price of AbbVie common stock declined $1.76 per share, or approximately 1.5%, from a close of $114.74 per share on June 24, 2021, to close at $112.98 per share on June 25, 2021.
Then, on September 1, 2021, the FDA announced that final results from the Xeljanz safety trial established an increased risk of serious adverse events, even with low doses of Xeljanz. As a result, the FDA determined that it would require new and updated warnings for Xeljanz and Rinvoq because Rinvoq "share[s] similar mechanisms of action with Xeljanz" and "may have similar risks as seen in the Xeljanz safety trial." The FDA also indicated that it would further limit approved indications for Rinvoq as a result of these safety concerns. On this news, the price of AbbVie common stock declined $8.51 per share, or more than 7%, from a close of $120.78 per share on August 31, 2021, to close at $112.27 per share on September 1, 2021.
After the Class Period, on December 3, 2021, AbbVie announced that the FDA had updated Rinvoq's label to require additional safety warnings and limit marketing of Rinvoq to only its use after treatment with other drugs has failed. On January 11, 2022, Defendants admitted that these changes to Rinvoq's label would negatively impact sales, forcing the Company to reduce its long-term guidance for Rinvoq's sales in 2025.
The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, about the company's business and operations. Specifically, Defendants misrepresented and/or failed to disclose that: (1) safety concerns about Xeljanz extended to Rinvoq and other JAK inhibitors; (2) as a result, it was likely that the FDA would require additional safety warnings for Rinvoq and would delay the approval of additional treatment indications for Rinvoq; and (3) therefore, Defendants' statements about the company's business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis, As a result of the Defendants' wrongful acts and omissions, and the significant decline in the market value of AbbVie's securities, AbbVie investors have suffered significant damages.
For more information on the AbbVie class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/ABBV
About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contact Information:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Alexandra B. Raymond, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com
