As the global economy surges up and down, companies continue to work to represent accurately to their investors the current state of affairs. Given the turmoil in the markets, an increasing number of plaintiffs are bringing shareholder class action suits, citing corporate statements about COVID-19. Oftentimes, these lawsuits point to statements from the company’s most recent SEC filings or associated press releases, and argue that the company knew that those statements were false or materially misleading based on actions that the company took not long after its reporting date. As first-quarter earnings season draws to a close, now is a good time to reflect on the shareholder class actions that have been brought to date related to COVID-19, and others potentially yet to come.

This article begins by discussing the most recent putative class action lawsuits related to COVID-19, and concludes by evaluating implications for future lawsuits.