Special purpose acquisition companies or “SPACs” are an increasingly popular way for private companies to become publicly traded without undergoing a traditional initial public offering. SPACs are companies with no commercial operations that are formed strictly to raise capital through an IPO for the purpose of acquiring one or more unspecified businesses or assets. If a business combination with an identified target is consummated (referred to as the “de-SPAC transaction”), the SPAC and the target business will combine into a publicly traded company. The earliest case captured under the SPACs trend was filed on January 30, 2019.

Cryptocurrency is a form of digital asset, created and stored electronically in the blockchain, using encryption techniques to control the creation of monetary units and to verify the transfer of funds. A blockchain is a decentralized ledger of all transactions across a peer-to-peer network that allows participants to confirm transactions without a need for a central clearing authority. The Clearinghouse is tracking and highlighting crypto- and blockchain-related securities class actions, including actions against cryptocurrency sponsors, issuers and exchanges, actions where the underlying security at issue is a type of cryptocurrency, as well as actions against blockchain or cryptocurrency companies engaged in the sale or exchange of tokens (commonly initial coin offerings), cryptocurrency mining, cryptocurrency derivatives, or that designed blockchain-focused software. The earliest case captured under the Cryptocurrency trend was filed on June 15, 2016.

As big data becomes increasingly important to companies, so should data security. Data breaches can grant hackers unauthorized access to customer data and significantly impact company share price and reputation. The Clearinghouse is tracking and highlighting securities class action lawsuits alleging data breaches or security vulnerabilities. The earliest case captured under the Data Breach trend was filed on July 22, 2015.

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that was first identified in late 2019 and eventually caused a global pandemic. The Clearinghouse is tracking and highlighting cases involving (1) misrepresentation or failure to disclose risks associated with COVID-19; (2) statements about how COVID-19 is impacting the business operations of the company; (3) false statements about COVID-19; or (4) how companies are looking to address demand for products as a result of COVID-19. The earliest case captured under the COVID-19 trend was filed on March 12, 2020.

Recreational cannabis-based products were first made legal in Washington and Colorado in December 2012 and are currently legal in several U.S. states. Cannabis-based products were legalized in Canada in October 2018. Securities litigation involving cannabis companies has risen in light of the growing number of companies in the sector, regulatory uncertainties, and overall market volatility in the legal cannabis industry. The Clearinghouse is tracking and highlighting securities class action lawsuits filed against U.S. and Canadian companies involved in financing, farming, distributing, or selling cannabis and cannabidiol products. The earliest case captured under the Cannabis trend was filed on April 23, 2014.

In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. Increased prescription of opioid medications led to widespread misuse of both prescription and non-prescription opioids before it became clear that these medications could, in fact, be highly addictive. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services declared a public health emergency and announced a strategy for combatting the opioid crisis. The Clearinghouse is tracking and highlighting cases against manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers of opioid-related products involving allegations related to opiate drugs that are addictive, were falsely marketed as non-addictive, or caused other opiate-related issues. The earliest case captured under the Opioid Crisis trend was filed on February 2, 2016.