The plaintiffs failed to pin liability on three financial officers of Horizon Lines, and the company, for a price-fixing conspiracy devised by others.

Sullivan & Cromwell succeeded in knocking out a class action claim that UBS was liable for underwriting dubious HealthSouth bonds. But the judge's opinion doesn't exactly bode well for the bank in a related case.

David Frederick is rapidly becoming the new best friend of plaintiffs at the Supreme Court. His latest win--for Merck shareholders suing over the company's Vioxx disclosures--should open the door wider for the securities class action bar.

Is the Senator from Pennsylvania--who recently introduced a Stoneridge rollback amendment to the financial reform bill--a tool of the plaintiffs bar? Apparently, the corporate lawyers who've given him hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2005 didn't get that memo.

Twice before, the securities class action has been tossed without prejudice. This time, a new judge said the plaintiffs are out of chances.

Judge Kevin Castel produced a 140-page opus in denying big chunks of the bank's motion to dismiss in August. So it's not a big surprise that he didn't look very kindly on BofA's request that he take another crack at it.