BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Feb. 4, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- A shareholder sued Suprema Specialties, Inc. (Nasdaq:CHEZ) for violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, as alleged in a complaint filed by the law firm of Schiffrin & Barroway, LLP.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and seeks damages for violations of federal securities laws on behalf of all investors who bought Suprema Specialities, Inc. ("Suprema" or the "Company") securities between August 8, 2001 through December 21, 2001 (the "Class Period").
Named as defendants in the case are Suprema, Mark Cocchiola, the Company's Chairman and CEO, Steven Venechanos, the Company's CFO and Secretary and Marco Cocchiola, Rudolph Acosta, Paul Desocia and Barry Rutcofsky, all of whom are directors of the Company.
Schiffrin & Barroway, LLP has prosecuted shareholder class actions for over fourteen years and has recovered more than $1 billion for investors. If you are a shareholder of Suprema Specialities, Inc. and want to learn more about this lawsuit and about becoming a lead plaintiff, you may visit our website at www.sbclasslaw.com.
The complaint alleges that the Suprema Specialities, Inc. throughout the Class Period knowingly or recklessly disseminated materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's financial condition. The following statements, among others, are alleged to have been materially false and misleading: August 8, 2001 and August 15, 2001 press releases announcing Suprema's 2001 year end financial results; 2001 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on September 28, 2001; Suprema's registration statement filed with the SEC on November 6, 2001 for the public offering of over 4 million shares of stock at $12.75 of which 500,000 shares were sold by, among others, defendants Cocchiola and Venechanos; November 15, 2001 press release announcing Suprema's results for the first quarter of 2002, ended September 30, 2001; and Suprema's Form 10-Q for the first quarter of fiscal 2002. In each of its SEC filings, the Company assured the public that its financials were in conformity with GAAP. The complaint alleged that Suprema's financial statements were, in fact, not in conformity with GAAP. On December 21, 2001 the Company announced the resignation of defendant Venechanos, the Company's CFO, and disclosed that it had launched an investigation into the Company's prior reported financial results. In response to this report the NASDAQ halted trading of Suprema stock.
If you purchased Suprema Specialities, Inc. securities during the period August 8, 2001 through December 21, 2001 , you may be a member of the class and have until March 18, 2002 to move the court to become a lead plaintiff. To learn more about your rights and interests in this case and your ability to potentially recoup your losses, please contact Schiffrin & Barroway directly at 888-299-7706 (toll free) or 610-822-2221, fax number 610-822-0002, e-mail at info@sbclasslaw.com or visit our website at www.sbclasslaw.com.
More information on this and otber class actions can be found on the Class Action Newsline at www.primezone.com/ca