Median settlement value in 2021 down more than 20% to .3 million.
Washington—The number of bodog app download class action settlements reached a 10-year high in 2021, but the combined dollar amount of all settlements and the median settlement value fell to their lowest levels since 2017, according to a new Cornerstone Research report released today.
The report, bodog app download Class Action Settlements—2021 Review and Analysis, found that there were 87 bodog app download totaling .8 billion in 2021, compared to 77 bodog app download totaling .4 billion (adjusted for inflation) the previous year. There were three mega bodog app download (those valued at 0 million or higher) in 2021, ranging from 0 million to 7.5 million, the latter reflecting the lowest maximum value in the last decade.
We expect this heightened settlement activity to continue for the next few years, given the elevated number of case filings in 2018–2020 and assuming no increases in dismissal rates.
“Undeterred by the challenges of the pandemic, bodog app download class action settlements occurred in larger numbers and were resolved more quickly than observed in prior years. The increase in the number of settlements also reflects the unusually high rate of case filings when many of these settled cases were first initiated,” said Laura E. Simmons, a Cornerstone Research senior advisor and report coauthor. “We expect this heightened settlement activity to continue for the next few years, given the elevated number of case filings in 2018–2020 and assuming no increases in dismissal rates.”
The .3 million median settlement value in 2021 was down 22% from the previous year (adjusted for inflation) and showed a 10% decline from the 2012–2020 median. The average settlement amount in 2021 was .5 million, down 64% from 2020 and 61% below the 2012–2020 average.
Reflecting the decline in the number of larger bodog app download, median “simplified tiered damages,” a measure of potential shareholder losses, fell in 2021 to the lowest level since 2017. Median simplified tiered damages were 3 million, down 42% from 2020 and the second lowest in the last decade. Lower “simplified tiered damages” are typically associated with smaller issuer defendants, measured by their total assets and/or market capitalization. While median issuer defendant total assets were more than 45% smaller for cases settled in 2021 compared to those settled in 2020, median market capitalization increased 30% from 2020 to 2021.
“The mix of cases that settled in 2021 had smaller estimates of potential shareholder losses and lacked many of the plus factors that often contribute to higher settlement outcomes, such as related SEC actions, parallel derivative actions, or institutional investors as lead plaintiffs,” said Laarni T. Bulan, a Cornerstone Research principal and report coauthor. “The infrequency of these factors likely contributed to the smaller settlement values overall.”