Ryan & Maniskas, LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware on behalf of purchasers of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (“Cooper” or the “Company”) (NYSE: CTB) common stock during the period between June 12, 2013 and November 8, 2013, inclusive (the “Class Period”), and all Cooper shareholders who held shares as of the record date of August 30, 2013 and were entitled to vote with respect to the proposed merger between Cooper and Apollo Tyres Ltd. (“Apollo”).
For more information regarding this class action suit, please contact Ryan & Maniskas, LLP (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (877) 316-3218 or by email at rmaniskas@rmclasslaw.com or visit: www.rmclasslaw.com/cases/ctb.
The Complaint alleges that Defendants violated the federal securities laws by issuing a series of materially misleading statements and omissions in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by Apollo, an Indian-based tire company, announced on June 12, 2013 (the “Merger”). Among other things, Cooper falsely represented the significant risks associated with the Merger by concealing the fact that the Company lacked control over its most important subsidiary, Cooper Chengshan Tire Company, Ltd. (“CCT”). Further, the Complaint alleges that Defendants concealed the fact that Cooper’s joint venture partner, Chengshan Group, which had a 35% interest in CCT, opposed the Merger, and had in fact sought to acquire Cooper for itself. In addition, the Complaint alleges that Cooper misrepresented Cooper’s financial condition, financial prospects, and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls. These and similar misrepresentations and omissions were included in the proxy statement Cooper issued on August 30, 2013, seeking shareholder approval of the Merger (the “Proxy Statement”), as well as in other communications soliciting shareholder approval of the deal.
Cooper shareholders voted to approve the Merger on September 30, 2013. Beginning on October 4, 2013, a series of disclosures alerted investors to the fact that the Merger was imperiled. On October 7, 2014, Cooper filed a Form 8-K with the SEC which included a press release revealing that the Merger was in jeopardy and that Cooper had filed a lawsuit against Apollo in an attempt to force Apollo to close the deal. On November 8, 2013, the Delaware Chancery Court denied Cooper’s request for an order requiring Apollo to close on the Merger, holding that Apollo had not breached the Merger agreement. In response to these disclosures, Cooper stock fell significantly, falling from $31.27 per share on October 3, 2013, to close at $23.82 per share on November 8, 2013.
If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than March 18, 2014, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member’s claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as “lead plaintiff.” Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain Ryan & Maniskas, LLP or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action.
For more information about the case or to participate online, please visit: www.rmclasslaw.com/cases/ctb or contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (877) 316-3218, or by e-mail at rmaniskas@rmclasslaw.com. For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about Ryan & Maniskas, LLP, please visit our website: www.rmclasslaw.com.
Ryan & Maniskas, LLP is a national shareholder litigation firm. Ryan & Maniskas, LLP is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Published: 22 Jan 2014