NEW YORK, June 07, 2024 (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 Exscientia plc. (NASDAQ: EXAI), Malibu Boats, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBUU), Globe Life, Inc. (NYSE: GL), and Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX). 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.
Exscientia plc. (NASDAQ: EXAI)
Class Period: March 23, 2022 - Febraury 12, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 25, 2024
Exscientia in an artificial intelligence ("AI") driven Pharma-tech company that engages in the design and develop differentiated medicines for diseases with high unmet patient needs.
At all relevant times, the Company purported to "maintain[] the highest standards of business conduct and ethics" and, to that end, adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics which applies to all of its employees, officers and directors, including former Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Director Defendant Andrew Hopkins ("Hopkins"), former Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") Defendant David Nicholson ("Nicholson"), and all other executive and senior officers.
The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Defendant Hopkins had engaged in improper relationships with employees that were inconsistent with the Company's standards and values; (ii) Defendant Nicholson had prior knowledge of Defendant Hopkins's relationships and had improperly addressed Hopkins's misconduct without consulting the Board; (iii) the Company's maintenance and enforcement of its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics was inadequate to safeguard against the foregoing conduct; (iv) the foregoing failures subjected the Company to a heightened risk of disruptive leadership transitions and/or reputational harm; and (v) as a result, Defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.
On February 13, 2024, Exscientia issued a press release "announc[ing] that its Board of Directors (the ‘Board') has decided to terminate the employment of [Defendant] Hopkins as the Company's [CEO] and Principal Executive Officer, and to remove Dr. Hopkins from his role as an Executive Director of the Board, in each case for cause and effective immediately." The press release further revealed that the Board's decision was taken following an investigation which found that Defendant Hopkins had "engaged in relationships with two employees that the Board determined were inappropriate and inconsistent with the Company's standards and values." In addition, the press release indicated that during the course of the investigation, the Board learned that "[Defendant] Nicholson [. . .] had prior knowledge of the existence of the earlier of Dr. Hopkins' relationships and had addressed the situation directly, and with the involvement of other outside counsel, rather than in consultation with the Board," and "[f]ollowing discussions with the Board, on February 12, 2024 Dr. Nicholson tendered his resignation from his positions with the Company."
On this news, Exscientia's stock price fell $1.72 per share, or 22.9%, to close at $5.79 per share on February 13, 2024.
For more information on the Exscientia class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/EXAI
Malibu Boats, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBUU)
Class Period: November 4, 2022 - April 11, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 28, 2024
On February 20, 2024, before the market opened, Malibu Boats announced the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) had “mutually agreed” to cease to serve as CEO.
On this news, the Company’s stock price fell $4.33 or 9.1%, to close at $43.15 per share on February 20, 2024, on unusually heavy trading volume.
Then, on April 11, 2024, after the market closed, Malibu Boats revealed that Tommy’s Boats (“Tommy’s”) had filed a complaint against the Company. After the Company disclosed news of the lawsuit, various media outlets publicized the Complaint, which alleged the Company “engaged in an elaborate scheme” to “pump nearly $100 million” worth of inventory into Tommy dealerships since late 2022 to “artificially inflate Malibu’s sales performance.” According to the Complaint, Malibu Boats forced the Company’s highest priced, highest margin, slow moving “Malibu” branded inventory (as opposed to the lower-margin, but faster moving “Axis” brand) onto Tommy’s dealerships. Malibu Boats recognizes a sale when the dealer takes delivery of the boat, regardless of whether it has been sold to the end user. As a result, this scheme enabled the Company to represent that it experienced strong wholesale demand and sales, even as sales to the end user declined. The Complaint revealed that, approximately one week prior to the Company announcing the separation with Defendant Springer, certain “Malibu stakeholders” admitted to the principal of Tommy’s dealerships that Malibu was in fact “intentionally pumping Tommy’s full of inventory.” The Complaint further alleged the Company withheld payment of incentives from Tommy’s for nearly two years before suddenly cutting ties with Tommy’s.
On this news, the Company’s stock price fell $3.34, or 7.99%, to close at $38.48 per share on April 12, 2024, on unusually heavy trading volume. The Company’s common stock price continued to fall the next consecutive trading session, falling $2.34 or 6% to close at $36.14 per share on April 15, 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 Malibu Boats engaged in an “elaborate scheme to over manufacture and pump nearly $100 million of its highest priced, highest margin, slow moving boat inventory into fifteen Tommy’s dealerships”; (2) that, as a result, the Company artificially inflated Malibu’s sales performance, market share, and stock value; (3) that the Company was withholding certain incentives and rebates from its dealers; (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, the Company faced substantial risk of litigation from one of its top dealers, Tommy’s; (5) that the Company’s CEO departed due to this role in this scheme; and (6) 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 Malibu Boats class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/MBUU
Global Life, Inc. (NYSE: GL)
Class Period: May 8, 2019 - April 10, 2024 (Common Stock Only)
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 1, 2024
Globe Life, an insurance company, offers various insurance products, including low-cost life insurance policies that provide comparatively lower payouts. Operating through its subsidiaries, American Income Life Insurance Company (AIL) being the largest, Globe Life has been accused of engaging in fraudulent activities.
According to the complaint, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements during the Class Period, particularly regarding Globe Life’s premium revenue growth, attributed to increased agent count and productivity. The Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which emphasized an inclusive and welcoming environment with strict policies against violence, illegal drugs, and threatening behavior, is alleged to have been misrepresented.
On April 11, 2024, an investment research firm published a report exposing allegations of widespread insurance fraud by Globe Life since 2017. The report claimed that the company’s subsidiaries underwrote policies for deceased and fictitious individuals while adding policies to customers’ accounts without their consent. The research also revealed evidence of a hostile workplace environment marred by sexual harassment, drug use, and sexual assault. According to the filed complaint, these revelations led to a significant decline in the price of Globe Life common stock.
For more information on the Global Life class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/GL
Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX)
Class Period: May 3, 2019 - March 24, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 1, 2024
According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Equinix manipulated its financials to reduce operational expenses and boost Adjusted Funds From Operations (“AFFO”); (2) Equinix oversold power capacity and did not warn of the risks associated with this practice; (3) Equinix lacked adequate internal controls; and (4) as a result, Defendants’ public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.
For more information on the Equinix class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/EQIX
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.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com
