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_______________
Copyright (c) 2001
Stanford Law School


Aurora Foods, Inc.
Conclusion: According to the Company’s FORM 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2001, on January 16, 2001 the Company announced that it reached a preliminary agreement to settle the securities class action and derivative lawsuits pending against the Company and its former management team in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. On March 1, 2001, Stipulations of Settlement for the Securities class action and derivative lawsuits were entered into in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California to fully resolve, discharge and settle the claims made in each respective lawsuit. On May 11, 2001, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California approved the settlement. Under the terms of the agreement, Aurora will pay the class members $26 million in cash and $10 million in common stock of the Company. The cash component of the settlement will be funded entirely by the Company's insurance.

During 2000, the Company was served with eighteen complaints in purported class action lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. On April 14, 2000, certain of the Company's current and former directors were named as defendants in a derivative lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, in the County of San Francisco, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, mismanagement and related causes of action based upon the Company's restatement of its financial statements. The case was then removed to federal court in San Francisco.

The complaint charges Aurora and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Aurora produces and markets brand name food products. The Company's products include Mrs. Butterworth's and Log Cabin syrup, Duncan Hines baking mixes, Van de Kamp's and Mrs. Paul's frozen seafood, Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast products, and Celeste frozen pizza. During the Class Period, Aurora issued false financial results and made false statements about its results causing its stock to trade at artificially inflated levels. Then on February 17, 2000, Aurora admitted that its 1999 results had been false, that its previously reported profit converted into a loss and that its top four officers had "resigned." On these shocking disclosures, Aurora's stock trading was halted, after last trading at $7-5/16. Then, when trading resumed on February 22, 2000, Aurora's stock collapsed to $3-1/2.

INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION:
SIC Code: 2045
Sector: Consumer Non-Cyclical
Industry: Food Processing


COMPANY/ISSUER NAME: Aurora Foods, Inc.
COMPANY/ISSUER TICKER: AOR
COMPANY WEBSITE: http://www.aurorafoods.com

FIRST IDENTIFIED COMPLAINT IN THE DATABASE
Steiner, et al. v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
 COURT: N.D. California  DOCKET NUMBER: 00-CV-602
 JUDGE NAME: Hon. Marilyn H. Patel
 DATE FILED: 02/22/2000  SOURCE: Complaint
 CLASS PERIOD START: 10/27/1999  CLASS PERIOD END: 02/18/2000
 TYPE OF COMPLAINT: Unamended/Unconsolidated
 PLAINTIFF FIRMS IN THIS OR SIMILAR CASE:
  • Girard & Green LLP
      160 Sansome Street. Suite 300, San Francisco, CA, 94104
       (voice) 415.981.4800, (fax) 415.981.4846, gg@classcounsel.com
  • Goodkind Labaton Rudoff & Sucharow LLP
      100 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10017
       (voice) 212.907.0700, (fax) 212.818.0477, info@glrslaw.com
  • Pomerantz Haudek Block Grossman & Gross LLP
      100 Park Avenue, 26th Floor, New York, NY, 10017-5516ven
       (voice) 212.661.1100, (fax) 212.661.8665, info@pomerantzlaw.com/
    _____________________________________________
     TOTAL NUMBER OF PLAINTIFF FIRMS:  3

  •  DOCUMENTS FOR THE FIRST IDENTIFIED COMPLAINT
    Complaint for Violation of the Federal Securities Laws
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/22/2000
    Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 3/8/2000
    First Amended Class Action Complaint
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 4/11/2000
    The Aurora Lead Plaintiff Group's Reply Brief in Support of Motion for Appointment of Lead Plaintiff and Counsel
    Type: Other Date on the document: 05/19/2000
    Declaration of Helen J. Hodges
    Type: Declaration Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    Declaration of Patrick J. Coughlin
    Type: Declaration Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    Joint Report Re: Settlement
    Type: Other Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    Notice of Motion and Motion For Appointment of Lead Plaintiff and Approval of Lead Counsel
    Type: Motion Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    Notice of Motion and Motion for Consolidation
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    Opposition of the Aurora Lead Plaintiff Group to Keith Espinosa's Motion to Appointed Lead Plaintiff
    Type: Other Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    The Aurora Lead Plaintiff Group's Reply Brief in Support of Motion for Appointment of Lead Plaintiff and Counsel
    Type: Motion Date on the document: 06/02/2000
    Joint Report Re: Settlement
    Type: Other Date on the document: 01/19/2001
    Notice Of Pendency And Proposed Settlement Of Class Action
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 03/12/2001
    Declaration of Keith F. Park in Support of an Award of Attorneys' Fees and Reimbursement of Expenses
    Type: Declaration Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    Joint Declaration of Stephen T. Rodd, Jeffrey H. Squire and William S. Lerach
    Type: Declaration Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    Notice of Motion and Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Approval of Plan of Allocation of Settlement Proceeds
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    Notice of Motion and Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Representative Plaintiffs' Counsel's Application
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    Plaintiffs' Notice Of Motion And Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Final Approval Of Class Action Settlement
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    [Proposed] Final Judgment and Order of Dismissal With Prejudice
    Type: Other Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    [Proposed] Order Approving Plan of Allocation
    Type: Order Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    [Proposed] Order Awarding Attorneys' Fees and Expenses
    Type: Order Date on the document: 05/03/2001
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 06/06/2001

     OTHER DOCUMENTS
    Class Action Complaint for Violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
    Case Name and/or Number: Riemer v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/22/2000
    Complaint for Violation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
    Case Name and/or Number: Hayes, et al. v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/22/2000
    Securities Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Hayes, et al. v. Aurora Foods Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/22/2000
    Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Coyle, et al. v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/23/2000
    Securities Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Reiss v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 2/23/2000
    Securities Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: John P. Brown, et al. v. Aurora Foods Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/24/2000
    Notice of Related Cases
    Case Name and/or Number: Craner v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 02/25/2000
    Notice to Preserve Documents Pursuant to Local Rule 16-1(g)(4)
    Case Name and/or Number: Craner, et al. v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Notice Date on the document: 02/25/2000
    Securities Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Craner v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/25/2000
    Securities Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Long, et al. v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 02/29/2000
    Complaint for Violation of the Securities Exchange
    Case Name and/or Number: Leist v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/02/2000
    Securities Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Pentler v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/03/2000
    Docket
    Case Name and/or Number: Leist v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/06/2000
    Complaint for Violation of the Securities Exchange
    Case Name and/or Number: Crotty v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/15/2000
    Complaint for Violation of the Securities Exchange
    Case Name and/or Number: Camp v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/17/2000
    Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Espinosa, et al. v. Aurora Foods Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/28/2000
    First Amended Class Action Complaint
    Case Name and/or Number: Espinosa, et al. v. Aurora Foods Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 03/28/2000
    Complaint for Violation of the Securities Exchange
    Case Name and/or Number: Schultz v. Aurora Foods, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 04/05/2000

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