Do the Merits Matter More? Class Actions Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act

38 Pages Posted: 8 Nov 2002

See all articles by Marilyn F. Johnson

Marilyn F. Johnson

Michigan State University - Department of Accounting & Information Systems

Karen K. Nelson

Texas Christian University - Department of Accounting

Adam C. Pritchard

University of Michigan Law School

Date Written: September 2002

Abstract

Congress passed the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in an attempt to discourage meritless securities fraud class actions. This paper uses damages, accounting, insider trading and governance variables to explain the incidence of securities fraud litigation both before and after the passage of the PSLRA. Using a matched sample of sued and non-sued firms from the computer hardware and software industries, we find that our accounting and insider trading variables, which do not correlate with the incidence of litigation prior to the passage of the PSLRA, are significant after the passage of the PSLRA. This finding is confirmed by our analysis of allegations and outcomes. Our accounting variables do not explain the incidence of pre-PSLRA accounting allegations, but they become significant after the passage of the PSLRA. Similarly, insider trading variables do not explain insider trading allegations before the PSLRA, but net sales by insiders correlate with such allegations after its enactment. Finally, we find no correlation between lawsuit outcomes and our accounting variables before the PSLRA, but accounting variables are significant after its enactment. Abnormal insider sales correlate with outcomes before the PSLRA, but not after. Overall, we interpret our findings as evidence that the PSLRA has furthered Congress's goal of discouraging frivolous securities fraud lawsuits.

Keywords: Securities litigation, litigation risk, accounting fraud, insider trading

Suggested Citation

Johnson, Marilyn F. and Nelson, Karen K. and Pritchard, Adam C., Do the Merits Matter More? Class Actions Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (September 2002). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=349500 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.349500

Marilyn F. Johnson

Michigan State University - Department of Accounting & Information Systems ( email )

270 North Business Complex
East Lansing, MI 48824-1034
United States
517-432-0152 (Phone)
517-432-1101 (Fax)

Karen K. Nelson

Texas Christian University - Department of Accounting ( email )

M.J. Neeley School of Business
TCU Box 298530
Fort Worth, TX 76129
United States
817-257-7567 (Phone)

Adam C. Pritchard (Contact Author)

University of Michigan Law School ( email )

625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215
United States
734-647-4048 (Phone)
734-647-7349 (Fax)

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