Case Caption: In re Washtenaw Cnty. Emps.’ Ret. Sys. v. Walgreen Co.
Case Number: 1:15-cv-03187
Court: Northern District of Illinois
Judge: Honorable Sharon Johnson Coleman
Plaintiffs: Industriens Pensionsforsikring A/S
Defendants: Walgreen Co., Gregory D. Wasson, and Wade D. Miquelon
Overview: This securities fraud class action case arose out of Defendants’ representations and omissions regarding Walgreen’s highly publicized earnings target of $9 billion to $9.5 billion for fiscal year 2016 (the “FY16 target”) and the negative impact of hyperinflation in generic drug prices (“generic inflation”) combined with unfavorable reimbursement contracts that caused significant reductions in Walgreen’s gross margins and earnings. During the Class Period, Defendants repeatedly reaffirmed the FY16 target and represented that Walgreen was seeing “nothing unusual” with respect to generic inflation or reimbursement pressure. Plaintiff alleges that unbeknownst to investors, the systemic shift to generic inflation caused a catastrophic impact on Walgreen’s earnings and profitability because it was “locked up” in multi-year contracts with lower reimbursement rates that did not protect against generic inflation.
Industriens filed a 124-page complaint in August 2015 on behalf of a proposed class of investors alleging that Walgreen and its former executives, CEO Greg Wasson and CFO Wade Miquelon, violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act by making false and misleading statements and concealing material facts about the magnitude and severity of generic inflation and reimbursement pressure and the combined impact on Walgreens’ margins and profitability, including the FY16 target. As alleged, following Walgreens’ disclosure of a $2 billion shortfall to its FY16 EBIT target as a direct result of generic inflation and reimbursement pressure, Walgreens’s stock price fell precipitously, causing significant losses and damages to the Company’s investors.
Following discovery and summary judgment proceedings, and with trial approaching, the parties reached a $105 million cash settlement.