PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 30, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- The law firm of Spector, Roseman & Kodroff, P.C. announces that a class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, against defendants Enron Corporation ("Enron" or the "Company") (NYSE:ENE), Kenneth L. Lay, Jeffrey K. Skilling, and Andrew Fastow, on behalf of purchasers of the common stock of Enron during the period between January 18, 2000 and October 17, 2001, inclusive (the "Class Period").
The Complaint alleges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, by issuing a series of material misrepresentations to the market between January 18, 2000 and October 17, 2001, thereby artificially inflating the price of Enron common stock. Specifically, the complaint alleges that Enron issued a series of statements concerning its business, financial results and operations which failed to disclose (i) that the Company's Broadband Services Division was experiencing declining demand for bandwidth and the Company's efforts to create a trading market for bandwidth were not meeting with success as many of the market participants were not creditworthy; (ii) that the Company's operating results were materially overstated as result of the Company failing to timely write-down the value of its investments with certain limited partnerships which were managed by the Company's chief financial officer; and (iii) that Enron was failing to write-down impaired assets on a timely basis in accordance with GAAP. On October 16, 2001, Enron surprised the market by announcing that the Company was taking non-recurring charges of $1.01 billion after-tax, or ($1.11) loss per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2001, the period ending September 30, 2001. Subsequently, Enron revealed that a material portion of the charge related to the unwinding of investments with certain limited partnerships which were controlled by Enron's chief financial officer and that the Company would be eliminating more than $1 billion in shareholder equity as a result of its unwinding of the investments. As this news began to be assimilated by the market, the price of Enron common stock dropped significantly. During the Class Period, Enron insiders disposed of over $73 million of their personally held Enron common stock to unsuspecting investors.
If you purchased Enron securities during the Class Period, you may, no later than December 21, 2001, move to be appointed as a Lead Plaintiff in this class action. A Lead Plaintiff is a representative, chosen by the Court that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 directs Courts to assume that the class member(s) with the "largest financial interest" in the outcome of the case will best serve the class in this capacity. Courts have discretion in determining which class member(s) have the "largest financial interest," and have appointed Lead Plaintiffs with substantial losses in both absolute terms and as a percentage of their net worth. If you have sustained substantial losses in Enron securities during the Class Period, please contact Spector, Roseman & Kodroff, P.C. at classaction@srk-law.com for a more thorough explanation of the Lead Plaintiff selection process. If you have relatively small losses, your ability to participate in any recovery will be protected by the Lead Plaintiff(s), and you need take no affirmative steps at this time.
If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff's counsel Robert M. Roseman toll-free at (888) 844-5862 or via e-mail at classaction@srk-law.com. For more detailed information about the firm please visit its Website at http://www.spectorandroseman.com.
Spector, Roseman & Kodroff, P.C., located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and San Diego, California, concentrates its practice in complex litigation including actions dealing with securities laws, antitrust, contract and commercial claims. The firm is active in major litigation pending in federal and state courts throughout the United States. The firm's reputation for excellence has been recognized on repeated occasions by courts which have appointed the firm as lead counsel in numerous major class actions involving violations of the federal securities laws and the federal antitrust laws, and consumer fraud. As a result of the efforts of the firm, and its members, hundreds of millions of dollars have been recovered on behalf of thousands of defrauded shareholders and companies.
More information on this and other class actions can be found on the Class Action Newsline at www.primezone.com/ca.