In re Vivendi Universal, S.A. Securities Litigation
In re Vivendi Universal, S.A. Securities Litigation
Opinion of the Court
OPINION AND ORDER
I. INTRODUCTION
Numerous plaintiffs filed individual actions after being excluded from the certified class action In re Vivendi Universal, S.A. Securities Litigation (the “Individual Plaintiffs”).
II. DAMAGES METHODOLOGY
In the July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order, I ruled, with respect to the class action, that “damages will be computed using LIFO [last-in, first-out], where sales of Vivendi ADSs during the Class Period will be matched against the last ADSs acquired by a particular Class Member.”
I also adopted a partial netting methodology for calculating damages in the class action.
Vivendi also seeks a ruling that the Individual Plaintiffs and GAMCO Plaintiffs are not entitled to prejudgment interest, or are entitled to the measure granted to the class; namely, “prejudgment interest based on the yield of a one-year treasury note compounded annually starting August 14, 2002.”
III. COLLATERAL ESTOPPEL
A. Applicable Law
Collateral estoppel bars re-litigation of an issue where “(1) the identical issue was raised in a previous proceeding; (2) the issue was actually litigated and decided in the previous proceeding; (3) the party had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue; and (4) the resolution of the issue was necessary to support a valid and final judgment on the merits.”
B. Discussion
1. Individual Plaintiffs
In Liberty Media, I granted plaintiffs’ request for collateral estoppel and barred Vivendi from relitigating the Section 10(b) elements of falsity, materiality, and scienter.
The Individual Plaintiffs request broader collateral estoppel effect than I granted in the Liberty Media action. First, they request collateral estoppel in
Vivendi argues that because inflation did not increase with certain misstatements, findings of loss causation with respect to those statements were superfluous and non-essential to the verdict. While it is true that these statements did not increase inflation, the jury’s verdict indicates that they found that the misstatements maintained the inflation.
Vivendi further argues that the maintenance theory only underscores that loss causation was not essential to the verdict because the jury could have found that the statements maintained inflation, or it could have reached the same general verdict without making specific findings of loss causation as to those statements. However, I am not aware of any evidence in the record at the class trial that would indicate the jury’s verdict was based on anything other than Dr. Nye’s maintenance theory. Although the jury’s loss causation finding may not have increased damages, but only maintained them, the finding of loss causation was necessary for the jury to establish Section 10(b) liability with respect to each particular statement. Because the loss causation issues relating to the Individual Plaintiffs are identical to those of the class, loss causation was actually litigated and decided in the class action, and Vivendi had a full and fair opportunity to contest loss causation, it is appropriate to grant collateral estoppel on the loss causation element in the Individual Plaintiffs’ actions.
Second, the Individual Plaintiffs request collateral estoppel barring Vivendi from using the truth-on-the-market theory to rebut the fraud-on-the-market presumption of reliance. The jury in the class action found that plaintiffs had established a presumption of reliance using the fraud-on-the-market theory. Although Vivendi attempted to rebut the presumption of reliance by arguing that the market already knew the truth that was omitted from Vivendi’s statements, the jury rejected this argument.
The Individual Plaintiffs suggest that remaining issues of reliance are susceptible to summary disposition because they have submitted transaction records and completed Rule 30(b)(6) depositions.
2. GAMCO Plaintiffs
Vivendi argues that the collateral estoppel ruling should not apply to the GAMCO Plaintiffs because “[t]he general rule should be that in cases where a plaintiff could easily have joined in the earlier action ... a trial judge should not allow the use of offensive collateral estoppel.”
In considering the circumstances of this case, I find that GAMCO Investors, Inc. did not adopt a “wait and see” approach. Although GAMCO did request to be deconsolidated from the class on July 14, 2009, before Judge Holwell issued the August 18, 2009 Order stating that the September 2009 trial would only include the class plaintiffs, GAMCO did not make this decision in a bad faith effort to curtail judicial efficiency — the primary concern in Parklane Hosiery. Rather, GAMCO Investors, Inc. wished to try its case with the other GAMCO Plaintiffs because of the broad overlap of individualized reliance issues unique to the GAMCO Plaintiffs. Finally, I note that GAMCO’s request to be deconsolidated from the class is only one factor in the Parklane Hosiery analysis; the other factors are identical to the analysis with respect to the Individual Plaintiffs and Liberty Media. Accordingly, collateral estoppel is granted for GAMCO Investors, Inc.
However, this ruling does not yet apply to the action of the remaining GAMCO Plaintiffs (the “Mutual Funds Action”).
Finally, I note that, should any of the actions in which Messier is a named defendant
IV. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, defendants’ motions to apply the damages methodology contained in the July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order are granted and plaintiffs’ motions for collateral estoppel are granted in part and denied in part. The Clerk of the Court is directed to close these motions.
SO ORDERED.
. See In re Vivendi Universal, S.A. Sec. Litig., 242 F.R.D. 76, 109 (S.D.N.Y. 2007).
. -U.S.-, 130 S.Ct. 2869, 177 L.Ed.2d 535 (2010).
. See 4/30/12 Order [Docket No. 1131]; 5/17/12 Stipulation and Order [Docket No. 1142].
. The remaining Individual Plaintiffs consist of AFA Livforsakringsaktiebolag; AFA Sjukforsakringsaktiebolag; Kollektivavtalsstiftelsen Trygghetsfonden TSL; AFA Trygghetsforsakrmgsaktiebolag; Alecta Pensionsforsakring Omsesidigt; Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec; DEKA Investment Gmbh; DEKA International (Ireland) Limited; and Norges Bank.
. The GAMCO Plaintiffs consist of GAMCO Investors, Inc., GAMCO Global Series Funds, Inc., Gabelli Capital Asset Fund, The Gabelli Value Fund, Inc., The Gabelli Asset Fund, The GAMCO Mathers Fund, The Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust Inc. The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc., The Gabelli Covertible and Income Securities Fund Inc., and GAMCO International Growth Fund, Inc.
. The defendants consist of Vivendi, S.A. ("Vivendi”), Jean-Marie Messier, and Guillaume Hannezo. Messier and Hannezo (the "Individual Defendants”) are only defendants in three of the above-captioned actions. Nos. 07 Civ. 7370, 8156, and 11484.
. No. 03 Civ. 2175.
.' 284 F.R.D. 144 (S.D.N.Y. 2012) ("July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order”).
. 861 F.Supp.2d 262 (S.D.N.Y. 2012) ("Liberty Media”). The collateral estoppel motion only pertains to Vivendi because the class action jury did not find the Individual Defendants liable for any claims.
. July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order, 284 F.R.D. at 160.
. See id.
. See id. at 158-59; 7/17/12 Order [Docket No. 1164],
. July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order, 284 F.R.D. at 158-59.
. 7/17/12 Order at 1 (quotations omitted).
. See July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order, 284 F.R.D. at 158-59.
. See Individual Plaintiffs’ Memorandum' of Law in Opposition to Defendant Vivendi, S.A.’s Motion to Establish the Method of Calculating Damages at 2-3.
. July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order, 284 F.R.D. at 164-65.
. Id.
. Boguslavsky v. Kaplan, 159 F.3d 715, 720 (2d Cir. 1998).
. See Parklane Hosiery Co. v. Shore, 439 U.S. 322, 330-31, 99 S.Ct. 645, 58 L.Ed.2d 552 (1979).
. See Liberty Media, 861 F.Supp.2d at 270-74.
. The Individual Plaintiffs also filed this motion in No. 07 Civ. 7776, which was dismissed on April 30, 2012 pursuant to Morrison. Accordingly, the motion in No. 07 Civ. 7776 is denied, and that case shall remain closed.
. To be clear, this collateral estoppel ruling applies only to Vivendi, and not to the Individual Defendants.
. See In re Vivendi Universal S.A., Sec. Litig., 765 F.Supp.2d 512, 555-63 (S.D.N.Y. 2011).
. This ruling in no way impacts the loss causation issue in the Liberty Media lawsuit, where this Court will soon be required to assess the sufficiency of Dr. Nye’s testimony to support the jury’s finding of loss causation. The loss causation issues in the Liberty Media action are different from those presented in the class action. .
. Of course, the Individual Defendants are free to raise a truth-on-the market defense.
. See Individual Plaintiffs’ Memorandum of Law in Support of Their Motion for an Order Limiting the Issues to Be Litigated on Grounds of Collateral Estoppel and for Partial Summary Judgment at 8 n. 4.
. See July 5, 2012 Opinion and Order, 284 F.R.D. at 153-55 (noting that Vivendi argues that "[a]ny showing that severs the link between the alleged misrepresentation and ei
. Parklane Hosiery Co., 439 U.S. at 331, 99 S.Ct. 645.
. Id. at 330, 99 S.Ct. 645.
. Id. at 331, 99 S.Ct. 645.
. No. 03 Civ. 5911.
. No. 09 Civ. 7962.
. See 8/2/12 Order, No. 09 Civ. 7962 [Docket No. 12].
. The plaintiffs in the Mutual Funds Action should submit a letter in advance of the January 8, 2013 conference requesting application of the collateral estoppel ruling to the Mutual Funds Action, if they believe it appropriate.
. No. 07 Civ. 7370, No. 07 Civ. 8156, No. 07 Civ. 11484.
. Although Hannezo appears to have been dismissed as a defendant in the remaining Individual Plaintiff actions on failure of service grounds, if any trial were to proceed against him, he would be severed from the trial of plaintiffs' claims against Vivendi.
.Nos. 02 Civ. 5571 [Docket Nos. 1149, 1153, 1155, and 1157]; 03 Civ. 5911 [Docket No. 89]; 07 Civ. 7370 [Docket Nos. 99 and 103]; 07 Civ. 7776 [Docket No. 98]; 07 Civ. 8156 [Docket Nos. 115 and 119]; 07 Civ. 11484 [Docket Nos. 99 and 103]; 09 Civ. 2568 [Docket No. 27]; 09 Civ. 2592 [Docket No. 40]; 09 Civ. 2603 [Docket No. 36]; 09 Civ. 7962 [Docket No. 5].
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In re VIVENDI UNIVERSAL, S.A. SECURITIES LITIGATION
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published