Plumbers' Union Local No. 12 Pension Fund v. Nomura Asset Acceptance Corp.

Can a plaintiff who bought a security in one offering bring a class action on behalf of purchasers in other offerings if the plaintiff alleges a misstatement common to all of the offerings? In cases under Sections 11 and 12 of the 1933 Securities Act—particularly those involving mortgage-backed securities—the consensus view had been that a plaintiff lacked standing to assert class claims regarding offerings in which the plaintiff did not buy. On September 6, the Second Circuit rejected that consensus view in NECA-IBEW Health & Welfare Fund v. Goldman Sachs & Co. (pdf)., creating a split with the First Circuit’s decision in Plumbers’ Union Local No. 12 Pension Fund v. Nomura Asset Acceptance Corp. (pdf), 632 F.3d 762 (1st Cir. 2011). Plaintiffs’ lawyers may seek to use the NECA-IBEW decision to broaden class litigation against securities issuers and underwriters.
Continue Reading NECA-IBEW: Second Circuit Rules That Plaintiffs Sometimes Have Standing to Bring Class Claims Covering Securities Offerings Other Than Ones in Which They Bought