Did you lose money on investments in Waste Management? If so, please visit Waste Management, Inc. Class Action Lawsuit or contact Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com to discuss your rights.
NEW YORK, July 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased certain redeemable senior notes (the “Notes”) of Waste Management, Inc. (“WM” or the “Company”) (NYSE: WM) between February 13, 2020 and June 23, 2020, inclusive (the “Class Period”). The Notes include the following senior redeemable notes issued by WM in May 2019: (i) 2.95% Senior Notes due 2024; (ii) 3.20% Senior Notes due 2026; (iii) 3.45% Senior Notes due 2029; and (iv) 4.00% Senior Notes due 2039. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
On April 14, 2019, WM entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger”) to acquire Advanced Disposal Systems, Inc. (“ADS”) for $4.9 billion, or $33.15 per share. The Merger was conditioned upon an ADS shareholder vote and obtaining antitrust clearance from regulators, including the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”).
On October 25, 2019, WM, ADS, and the DOJ entered into a timing agreement that provided for a minimum 70-day settlement period during which the parties would attempt to reach an agreement on DOJ approval for the Merger, which included DOJ approval of the amount of WM’s asset divestures. Unbeknownst to investors, during this process the DOJ informed WM that its agreement to divest $200 million in revenue-producing assets to address antitrust concerns would be insufficient for regulatory approval. The DOJ concluded that the combination of WM and ADS would, without divestures significantly in excess of $200 million, cause harm to municipal solid waste disposal in 24 geographic markets across 8 states, and cause harm to small container commercial waste collection in 33 geographic markets located in 6 states.
Plaintiff alleges that Defendants made materially false and misleading statements throughout the Class Period, including omitting material facts relating to: (i) the DOJ’s indication to WM that it would require WM to divest significantly more than $200 million; and (ii) the impact of the DOJ’s indication on the completion of the Merger and the redemption of the Notes.
On June 24, 2020, WM disclosed that the Company and ADS had revised the terms of the Merger and that WM needed to divest substantially more assets than previously disclosed to receive DOJ approval for the deal. Under the revised Merger terms, WM agreed to purchase ADS for $4.6 billion, or $30.30 per share, thereby reducing WM’s acquisition cost by approximately $300 million to $4.6 billion. In addition, WM and ADS had agreed to sell $835 million worth of assets in an attempt to satisfy antitrust regulators, which assets were responsible for generating approximately $345 million in 2019 revenue. WM also revealed that the deal was now not expected to close until “the end of the third quarter of 2020” – six months later than had been represented by defendants at the start of the Class Period and, critically, after the end date which triggered the redemption feature of the Notes.
On this news, the prices of the Notes fell significantly. For example, the 3.45% Notes fell from 109% on June 23, 2020 to just 103% of par on June 24, 2020.
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than August 8, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn’t require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.
If you purchased the Notes, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Waste Management, Inc. Class Action Lawsuit or contact Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com.
Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal’s “Plaintiffs’ Hot List” thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2022 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Peter Allocco
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
https://www.bernlieb.com
(212) 951-2030
pallocco@bernlieb.com
