Lowinger v. Morgan Stanley

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Plaintiff filed suit alleging claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. 78p(b), against, inter alia, Lead Underwriters. Plaintiff sought to hold Lead Underwriters liable under Section 16(b) for disgorgement of short-swing profits received in connection with their sales and purchases of shares in the course of Facebook, Inc.'s initial public offering (IPO). The district court dismissed the complaint on the grounds that the lock-up agreements alone did not render the Lead Underwriters beneficial owners of the aggregated shares held by the Shareholders under Section 13(d). The court agreed that this standard form lock-up agreement is insufficient, on its own, to establish a group under Section 13(d). Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment. View "Lowinger v. Morgan Stanley" on Justia Law