NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN), Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA), and Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRBP). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.
Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN)
Class Period: April 14, 2021 – July 26, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 3, 2022
Coinbase provides financial infrastructure and technology products and services for the cryptocurrency economy (or “cryptoeconomy”) in the U.S. and internationally. The Company purportedly offers the primary financial account in the cryptoeconomy for retailers, a marketplace with a pool of liquidity for transacting in crypto assets for institutions, and technology and services that enable ecosystem partners to build crypto-based applications and securely accept crypto assets as payment.
On May 10, 2022, in its quarterly report for the first quarter of 2022, released after the markets closed, Coinbase disclosed that: “[B]ecause custodially held crypto assets may be considered to be the property of a bankruptcy estate, in the event of a bankruptcy, the crypto assets we hold in custody on behalf of our customers could be subject to bankruptcy proceedings and such customers could be treated as our general unsecured creditors.”
Following this disclosure, the price of Coinbase’s Class A common stock fell $19.27 per share, or 26.4%, to close at $53.72 per share on May 11, 2022.
In a subsequent tweet commenting on the disclosure, Coinbase’s Chief Executive Officer, Defendant Brian Armstrong, stated: “We should have updated our retail terms sooner, and we didn’t communicate proactively when this risk disclosure was added. My deepest apologies, and a good learning moment for us as we make future changes.”
On May 12, 2022, Professor Adam J. Levitin, a professor of law, at Georgetown University Law Center, published a draft of an article entitled “Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins: Unpriced Credit Risk in Cryptocurrency,” set to appear in the Texas Law Review, which argues that in the event a cryptocurrency exchange files for bankruptcy, bankruptcy courts are likely to deem custodial holdings of cryptocurrencies to be property of the bankrupt exchange, rather than the property of its customers.
Then, on July 25, 2022, after the markets closed, Bloomberg reported that Coinbase is facing an SEC probe into whether it improperly let Americans trade digital assets that should have been registered as securities.
On this news, the price of Coinbase’s Class A common stock fell $14.14 per share, or 21.08%, to close at $52.93 per share on July 26, 2022.
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Coinbase custodially held crypto assets on behalf of its customers, which assets Coinbase knew or recklessly disregarded could qualify as the property of a bankruptcy estate, making those assets potentially subject to bankruptcy proceedings in which Coinbase’s customers would be treated as the Company’s general unsecured creditors; (ii) Coinbase allowed Americans to trade digital assets that Coinbase knew or recklessly disregarded should have been registered as securities with the SEC; (iii) the foregoing conduct subjected the Company to a heightened risk of regulatory and governmental scrutiny and enforcement action; and (iv) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
For more information on the Coinbase class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/COIN
Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA)
Class Period: May 6, 2020 – June 24, 2022
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 3, 2022
On June 24, 2022, Barron’s published an article entitled “Carvana Sought to Disrupt Auto Sales. It Delivered Undriveable Cars,” detailing, among other things, that: “[i]n its haste to seize market share from competitors, Carvana was selling cars faster than it could get them registered to their new owners” and “at one point forming an ad hoc unit known as the ‘undriveable-car task force’”; “[i]n other instances… Carvana sold cars before it had title to the vehicles, an action that is illegal in many states where the company does business”; and “state regulators across the U.S. have been subjecting [Carvana] to suspensions or increased oversight over registration delays and its practice of issuing multiple temporary license plates from states where it has dealer’s licenses, instead of promptly providing permanent ones.” For example, the article detailed that “Pennsylvania officials suspended [Carvana’s] license to issue temporary permits at its two vending-machine towers in that state… citing late document submittals, ‘improper issuance and verification of temporary Pennsylvania plates in other states,’ and other violations.”
On this news, Carvana’s share price fell approximately 21% over the next two trading days, damaging investors.
The Carvana class action lawsuit alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and misleading statements and failed to disclose that: (i) Carvana faced serious, ongoing issues with documentation, registration, and title with many of its vehicles; (ii) as a result, Carvana was issuing unusually frequent temporary plates; (iii) thus, Carvana was violating laws and regulations in many existing markets; (iv) consequently, Carvana risked its ability to continue business and/or expand its business in existing markets; (v) as such, Carvana was at an increased risk of governmental investigation and action; (vi) Carvana was in discussion with state and local authorities regarding the above-stated business tactics and issues; and (vii) Carvana was facing imminent and ongoing regulatory actions including license suspensions, business cessation, and probation in several states and counties including in Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina.
For more information on the Carvana class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/CVNA
Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRBP)
Class Period: June 25, 2021 – August 13, 2021 or pursuant to the Company’s July 2, 2021 IPO
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 4, 2022
The Complaint alleges that the Offering Documents failed to disclose that the FDA had, prior to the filing of the Registration Statement and Prospectus, imposed a clinical hold, and in fact, contained statements indicating that it had not. Given that the Offering closed on July 2, 2021, more than thirty (30) days after the Company submitted the IND applications for its two immunotherapy product candidates, investors were assured that no clinical hold had been issued and clinical trials would commence. The Company, however, had received communications from the FDA on June 16 and 17, 2021, informing it that the FDA was placing the IND applications for its two candidate products on clinical hold. The Offering Documents failed to disclose this information, instead representing that clinical testing was expected to proceed in the third quarter of 2021. Clinical testing did not proceed in the third quarter of 2021, nor was it likely given the FDA’s imposition of a clinical hold.
For more information on the Kiromic class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/KRBP
About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contact Information:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Melissa Fortunato, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com
