In re Immune Response Securities Litigation

• Decision Date: 31 May 2007
• Docket Number: No. 01CV1237 J WMC.,01CV1237 J WMC.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of California
• Parties: In re: IMMUNE RESPONSE SECURITIES LITIGATION.

497 F.Supp.2d 1166

In re: IMMUNE RESPONSE SECURITIES LITIGATION.

No. 01CV1237 J WMC.

United States District Court, S.D. California.

May 31, 2007.

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED

Patrice Lyn Bishop, Stull Stull and Brody, Los Angeles, CA, for Epport Captial Partners, L.P., Estate of Leon Menkas, Sepideh Abtahi, Steven Rothbart, Plaintiffs.

Edward Phillip Dietrich, Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman and Robbins, San Diego, CA, for Michael Baghdoian, Scott Carroll, Florence Hirschfeld, Plaintiffs.

Dennis J Block, Danielle D Dooley, Jonathan M Hoff, Cadwalader Wickersham and Taft, New York, NY, Daniel Evan Eaton, Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek, San Diego, CA, for Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Defendant.

Kenneth S Klein, Michael Patrick McCloskey, Foley and Lardner LLP, San Diego, CA, for Ronald Moss, Defendant.

Jeffrey R Krinsk, Finkelstein and Krinsk, San Diego, CA, for Robert Stilson, Plaintiff.

Jordan L Lurie, Weiss and Lurie, Los Angeles, CA, for Michael Baghdoian, Scott Carroll, Plaintiffs.

Brian J Robbins, Robbins Umeda and Fink, San Diego, CA, for Alan Haenel, Plaintiff.

Darren Jay Robbins, Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP, San Diego, CA, for Charles Wolf, Chaya Markowitz, Constantine D Lembesis, Cynthia I Jenkins, Plaintiffs.

Richard Mark Segal, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, San Diego, CA, for Immune Response Corporation, Dennis J Carlo, Defendants.

ORDER: 1) APPROVING CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT; 2) APPROVING PLAN OF ALLOCATION; AND 3) APPROVING ATTORNEYS' FEES AWARD AND REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES.

JONES, District Judge.

On October 3, 2006, the Parties entered into a Stipulation of Settlement. [Doc. No. 147.] Subsequently, the proposed settlement was submitted to the Court for preliminary approval. By order dated March 14, 2007, this Court certified the Class, preliminarily approved the class action settlement, and approved the notice to Class Members. [Doc. No. 148.] The Parties now move for final approval of the proposed class action settlement. [Doc. No. 149.] On May 21, 2007, this matter came before the Court for a fairness hearing regarding judicial approval of the Parties' proposed settlement in this class action. Pursuant to the Court's Order, the Parties filed supplemental briefing regarding the requested reimbursements. [Doc. Nos. 152-56.]

Background

Immune Response Corporation ("IRC") is a biopharmaceutical company that develops immune-based therapies for the treatment of HIV. (Compl. ¶ 1.) IRC's stock is traded on NASDAQ. Defendant Dennis J. Carlo, Ph.D. ("Carlo"), is a co-founder of IRC and was its Chief Executive Officer during the Class Period. Defendant Dr. Ronald B. Moss ("Moss") was Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs until January 2000, and then was named Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs. To fund studies, IRC collaborated with Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc.

Between July 10, 2001, and August 17, 2001, ten securities class action complaints were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on behalf of all persons who purchased Defendant IRC's publicly-traded securities between May 17, 1999, and July 6, 2001 (the "Class Period'). On April 4, 2002, this Court consolidated the ten class action complaints. [Doc. No 18.] Plaintiffs allege that IRC and its representatives made false and misleading statements about the efficacy of REMUNE — a drug IRC developed for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus ("HIV"). Specifically, Plaintiffs allege securities fraud under the 1933 Securities Exchange Act §§ 11, 12(a)(2), and 15, as well as, Securities Exchange Commission ("SEC") Rule 10b-5 and §§ 10(b), 20(a) of the 1934 Act.

On June 7, 2005, the Court denied Defendants' Motions to Dismiss. On February 7, 2006, the Parties engaged in mediation before the Honorable Howard B. Wiener (Ret.), and Lead Plaintiffs and all Defendants except Agouron reached an "agreement-in-principle" to settle their claims in the litigation. Shortly thereafter, on February 28, 2006, Lead Plaintiffs and Agouron reached an agreement-in-principle to settle their claims in the litigation.

On March 14, 2007, this Court preliminarily approved the class action settlement and approved the notice to Class Members. (See generally Order of Prelim. Approval.) The Class upon whose behalf this settlement is made was certified as:

All persons who purchased Immune Response Corporation publicly traded securities at any time during the period between May 17, 1999, and July 6, 2001, inclusive. Excluded from the Class are the Defendants, members of the immediate families of the Individual Defendants, any entity in which any Defendant has or had a controlling interest, directors and officers of Immune Response Corporation and Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and the legal representatives, heirs, administrators, successors, or assigns of any such excluded person. Also excluded from the Class are those persons who timely and validly request exclusion from the Class pursuant to the Notice of Pendency of and Proposed Settlement of Class Action.

(Id. at 11.) The Parties are now before the Court to obtain final judicial approval of the class action settlement.

Legal Standard

Rule 23(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires judicial approval of any dismissal or settlement in a class action lawsuit and provides that notice of the proposed dismissal or settlement must be given to all class members. Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(e). The primary purpose of Rule 23(e) is to protect class members, including the named plaintiffs, whose rights may not have been given due regard by the negotiating parties. Officers for Justice v. Civil Service Comm'n, 688 F.2d 615, 624 (9th Cir.1982). Consequently, courts must conduct a fairness hearing to determine whether to approve the class action settlement. See, e.g., In re Mego Financial Corp. Sec. Litig., 213 F.3d 454; 458 (9th Cir.2000); Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011, 1026 (9th Cir.1998).

"Although Rule 23(e) is silent respecting the standard by which a proposed settlement is to be evaluated, the universally applied standard is whether the settlement is fundamentally fair, adequate and reasonable." Officers for Justice, 688 F.2d at 625; see also Torrisi v. Tucson Elec. Power Co., 8 F.3d 1370, 1375 (9th Cir.1993). When determining whether approval of a settlement is warranted, courts consider

several factors which may include, among others, some or all of the following [1] the strength of plaintiffs' case; [2] the risk, expense, complexity, and likely duration of further litigation; [3] the risk of maintaining class action status throughout the trial; [4] the amount offered in settlement; [5] the extent of discovery completed, and the stage of the proceedings; [6] the experience and views of counsel; [7] the presence of a governmental participant; and [8] the reaction of the class members to the proposed settlement.

Torrisi, 8 F.3d at 1375; see also Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011, 1026 (9th Cir.1998). Further, "[t]o survive appellate review, the district court must show it has explored comprehensively all [fairness] factors." Hanlon, 150 F.3d at 1026 (citing Protective Comm. For Independent Stockholders of TMT Trailer Ferry, Inc. v. Anderson, 390 U.S. 414, 434, 88 S.Ct. 1157, 20 L.Ed.2d 1 (1968)). Finally, "the settlement may not be the product of collusion among the negotiating parties." Mego, 213 F.3d at 458 (citing Class Plaintiffs v. City of Seattle, 955 F.2d 1268, 1290 (9th Cir.1992)).

Discussion

I. Notice to Class Members

The first issue the Court must address is notice to the Class. The Ninth Circuit has summarized the Court's procedural obligation as follows:

The class must be notified of a proposed settlement in a manner that does not systematically leave any group without notice; the notice must indicate that a dissident can object to the settlement and to the definition of the class; each objection must be made a part of the record; those members raising substantial objections must be afforded an opportunity to be heard with the assistance of privately retained counsel if so desired, and a reasoned response by the court on the record; and objections without substance and which are frivolous require only a statement on the record of the reasons for so considering the objection.

Officers for Justice, 688 F.2d at 624 (footnote and citations omitted).

Pursuant to the Order issued on March 14, 2007, the Notice of Pendency of Class Action and Proposed Settlement ("Notice") and the Proof of Claim and Release Form were mailed to 41,173 Class Members beginning on or before March 24, 2007. (See Mot. Final Approval of Settlement at 1; Sylvester Decl. at 1-2.) The Notice provides a description of the nature of the action and the issues involved in the litigation. (See Sylvester Decl., Ex. A at 1-4.) The Notice also contains a concise and clear statement of the definition of the Class that has been certified. (See id. at 3.) The Notice provides the procedure by which an individual may request an appearance at the Settlement Hearing, as well as how an individual may exclude herself from the Class. (See id. at 5-6.) The Notice also discusses the binding effect of the class judgment on Class Members. (See id. at 5-7.) The Notice called for all objections to be postmarked and mailed no later than May 7, 2007. To date, no objections to the settlement have been filed. (See Mot. Final Approval of Settlement at 2.) Three Class Members, Steven A. Schuster, Kenneth D. Mulzer Sr., and Shizuko O. Mihata, have indicated their desire to opt out of the Class.¹ (See Ex. 1; Prop. Order for Final Judgment). The Summary Notice was also posted on the internet and published in the national edition of Investor's Business Daily. (See Sylvester Decl. at 2.)

The Court FINDS that the notice afforded to Class Members is adequate and sufficient to inform Class Members of their...