comScore Securities Litigation

Frequently Asked Questions

 

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  • The Court directed that this Notice be mailed to you, because you or someone in your family or an investment account for which you serve as a custodian may have (i) purchased or otherwise acquired comScore Inc. (“comScore”) common stock during the period from February 11, 2014 through November 23, 2016 (the “Settlement Class Period” or “Class Period”); (ii) held Rentrak Corporation (“Rentrak”) common stock as of December 10, 2015 and were entitled to vote on the Merger between comScore and Rentrak consummated on January 29, 2016; and/or (iii) acquired shares of comScore common stock issued pursuant to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 30, 2015 and subsequently amended (the “Registration Statement”).

    The purpose of this Notice is to inform you of the existence of this case, that it is a class action, how you might be affected, and how to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, if you wish to do so. It is also being sent to inform you of the terms of the proposed Settlement, and of a hearing to be held by the Court to consider the fairness, reasonableness, and adequacy of the Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and the motion by Lead Counsel for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses (the “Settlement Hearing”). See ¶¶ 82‑89 of the Notice for details about the Settlement Hearing, including the date and location of the hearing.

    The issuance of this Notice is not an expression of any opinion by the Court concerning the merits of any claim in the Action, and the Court still has to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement and the Plan of Allocation (or some other plan of allocation), payments pursuant to the Settlement and the Court-approved plan of allocation will be made to Authorized Claimants after any objections and appeals are resolved and after the completion of all claims processing. Please be patient, as this process can take some time to complete. Please note the Court has approved the Settlement.

  • This case is a consolidated securities class action titled Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association, et al. v. comScore, Inc., et al., Case No: 1:16-cv-1820-JGK. The Court in charge of the case is the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the presiding judge is the Honorable John G. Koeltl.

    This case began on March 10, 2016, when the first of two securities class action complaints was filed in the Court. In accordance with the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), notice to the public was issued stating the deadline by which class members could move the Court for appointment as lead plaintiff.

    By Order dated July 19, 2016, the Court appointed the Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association and the Employees’ Retirement System of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge as Lead Plaintiffs for the Action, approved Lead Plaintiffs’ selection of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP as Lead Counsel, and consolidated all related actions into the Action.

    Thereafter, Lead Counsel conducted an extensive investigation into the claims asserted in the Action, including, among other things, the review and analysis of publicly available documents (including SEC filings; news articles; research reports by securities and financial analysts; transcripts of comScore’s investor calls; newspaper, magazine, and trade publication articles; and presentations at investor conferences), as well as interviews with several former comScore employees. Lead Counsel has also retained and consulted with accounting, statistical, and financial economics experts.

    On October 19, 2016, Lead Plaintiffs filed and served their Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (the “First Amended Complaint”), adding Plaintiff Huff as a named Plaintiff. On December 9, 2016, all Defendants filed motions to dismiss the First Amended Complaint. In lieu of responding to the motions to dismiss, Plaintiffs filed the Second Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (the “Second Amended Complaint” or “Complaint”) on January 13, 2017.

    The Second Amended Complaint alleges, among other things, that Defendants’ publicly filed financial statements for more than three years were materially false and misleading, violated GAAP, improperly recognized more than $43 million in fictitious revenue, and must be formally restated. In particular, the Complaint alleges, among other things, that Defendants reported to investors throughout the Class Period that comScore was achieving record-breaking revenues, and knew that investors valued these statements highly, as the Company touted its revenue and related metrics as the key measures by which it—and its stockholders—gauged its progress. The Second Amended Complaint alleges that, as a result of these statements, comScore’s stock price soared, and its officers were compensated accordingly—they engaged in massive insider trading sales and obtained compensation packages tied to the Company’s stock price. The Complaint further alleges that comScore’s accounting for $43 million in nonmonetary revenue had been false and that comScore would have to restate its financial statements for three years; the Company would also be required to restate its financials for certain monetary transactions. The Complaint further alleges that the price of comScore common stock was artificially inflated as a result of Defendants’ allegedly false and misleading statements and omissions, and the price declined when the truth was revealed in disclosures that occurred on August 31, 2015, February 29, 2016, and November 23, 2016.

    Concerning the above allegations, the Second Amended Complaint asserts (i) claims under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and Rule 10b5 promulgated thereunder, against comScore, Magid M. Abraham, Serge Matta, Kenneth J. Tarpey, Melvin Wesley III, and William J. Henderson; (ii) claims under Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against Magid M. Abraham, Serge Matta, Kenneth J. Tarpey, Melvin Wesley III, and William J. Henderson; and (iii) claims under Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) against Magid M. Abraham, Serge Matta, Kenneth J. Tarpey, Melvin Wesley III, William J. Henderson, Russell Fradin, Gian M. Fulgoni, William Katz, Ronald Korn, Joan Lewis, Rentrak, David Boylan, David I. Chemerow, William Engel, Patricia Gottesman, William Livek, Anne MacDonald, Martin O’Connor, Brent Rosenthal, and Ralph Shaw, arising from comScore’s 2015 merger with Rentrak (the “Merger”).

    On March 13, 2017, Defendants filed motions to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint. On April 13, 2017, Plaintiffs served their papers in opposition and, on April 27, 2017, Defendants served their reply papers. On July 14, 2017, Judge Koeltl held oral argument on Defendants’ motions to dismiss, and on July 28, 2017, the Court issued an Opinion and Order denying in full Defendants’ motions, which sustained in their entirety the Complaint’s allegations.

    On August 17, 2017, Lead Plaintiffs and the comScore Defendants engaged in a full-day, private mediation session before the Honorable Layn Phillips in an attempt to reach a consensual resolution of the Action. On September 10, 2017, Lead Plaintiffs and the comScore Defendants ultimately agreed, subject to the Due Diligence Discovery described below and the other terms and conditions of the Stipulation of Settlement, to settle and release all claims asserted against the Settling Defendants in the Action in return for $110 million, with $27,231,527.20 paid in cash and $82,768,472.80 in value paid in shares of comScore common stock.

    On September 19, 2017, Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed with prejudice their claims against the Rentrak Defendants (discussed further in ¶¶ 40-44 of the Notice).

    On December 28, 2017, after months of good-faith negotiations, the Settling Parties entered into the Stipulation of Settlement, which sets forth the final terms and conditions of the Settlement, including the condition that the Settlement is not final until the completion of Due Diligence Discovery to the satisfaction of Lead Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel. In connection with the Due Diligence Discovery, the Settling Defendants are producing documents and information regarding the allegations and claims asserted in the Complaint, and current and former comScore employees, or other persons within the Settling Defendants’ control, will sit for interviews under oath by Lead Counsel. Pursuant to the Stipulation, Lead Plaintiffs have the right to withdraw from and terminate the Settlement at any time prior to filing their motion in support of final approval of the Settlement, if, in their discretion, information is produced during Due Diligence Discovery that renders the proposed Settlement unreasonable, or inadequate.

    On January 29, 2018, the Court entered the Order Preliminarily Approving Proposed Settlement and Providing for Notice (the “Preliminary Approval Order”), which, among other things, preliminarily approved the proposed Settlement, authorized the Notice to be disseminated to potential Settlement Class Members, and scheduled the Settlement Hearing to consider whether to grant final approval to the Settlement

  • If you are a member of the Settlement Class, you are subject to the Settlement, unless you timely request to be excluded. The Settlement Class consists of:

    all persons or entities who or which (i) purchased or otherwise acquired comScore common stock during the period from February 11, 2014 through November 23, 2016, inclusive; (ii) held the common stock of Rentrak as of December 10, 2015 and were entitled to vote on the Merger between comScore and Rentrak consummated on January 29, 2016; or (iii) acquired shares of comScore common stock issued pursuant to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC on October 30, 2015 and subsequently amended, and who were damaged thereby.

    Excluded from the Settlement Class are Defendants; the officers and directors of comScore and Rentrak during the Settlement Class Period; members of the Immediate Families of any such excluded person; any entity in which any excluded person or entity has, or had during the Settlement Class Period, a controlling interest (including, without limitation, any excluded entity’s subsidiaries); and the legal representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns of any excluded person or entity. Also excluded from the Settlement Class are any persons or entities who or which exclude themselves by submitting a request for exclusion in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Notice that is accepted by the Court. See question below: “What If I Do Not Want To Be A Member Of The Settlement Class? How Do I Exclude Myself,”.

    PLEASE NOTE: RECEIPT OF THE NOTICE DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE A SETTLEMENT CLASS MEMBER OR THAT YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO PAYMENT FROM THE NET SETTLEMENT FUND. IF YOU ARE A SETTLEMENT CLASS MEMBER AND YOU WISH TO BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A PAYMENT FROM THE NET SETTLEMENT FUND, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THE CLAIM FORM THAT IS BEING DISTRIBUTED WITH THE NOTICE AND THE REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION AS SET FORTH THEREIN, POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN MAY 29, 2018.

  • Plaintiffs’ principal reason for entering the Settlement is the significant payment that the Settlement Class will receive in a timely fashion without the risk or the delays inherent in further litigation. The substantial payment provided by the Settlement must be considered against the significant risk that a smaller recovery—or indeed no recovery at all—might be achieved after contested motions for class certification, summary judgment and other issues, as well as a trial of the Action, and likely appeals that would follow a trial, a process that could be expected to last several years.

    Moreover, this case presented a number of substantial risks in establishing the Settling Defendants’ liability. Although the Court denied the Settling Defendants’ motions to dismiss the Complaint in their entirety—sustaining all of Plaintiffs’ allegations concerning the theory of the Action developed through Plaintiffs’ investigation—the alleged fraud involved dense, complicated, and highly technical financial and accounting issues that the Settling Defendants continue to contest. Courts and commentators have recognized the difficulties of providing fraudulent intent with respect to such matters, which are difficult to explain to a jury. Thus, even if the case were to proceed to trial, there is no guarantee that the jury would find in Plaintiffs’ favor and award a substantial monetary judgment to the Settlement Class.

    In addition, Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel also recognized a substantial risk that, even if they succeeded in establishing the Settling Defendants’ liability at trial, comScore would not have been financially viable enough to pay a judgment. Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel determined that this risk was particularly acute here in light of the fact that, as of this date, comScore still has not completed its restatement and therefore does not have public financial statements for any year after 2012. Consequentially, comScore common stock has been delisted from NASDAQ and the Company lacks the ability to access most sources of capital.

    Thus, there were very significant risks attendant to the continued prosecution of the Action. In light of these risks, the amount of the Settlement, and the immediacy of recovery to the Settlement Class, and subject to the satisfactory completion of Due Diligence Discovery, Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel believe that the proposed Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate, and in the best interests of the Settlement Class. Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel believe that the Settlement provides a substantial benefit to the Settlement Class, namely $110,000,000 (in cash and shares of comScore common stock, less the various deductions described in the Notice), as compared to the risk that the claims in the Action would produce a smaller recovery, or no recovery, after summary judgment, trial, and appeals, possibly years in the future.

    The Settling Defendants have denied the claims asserted against them in the Action and deny having engaged in any wrongdoing or violation of law of any kind whatsoever. The Settling Defendants have agreed to the Settlement solely to eliminate the uncertainty, burden, and expense of continued litigation. Accordingly, the Settlement may not be construed as an admission of any wrongdoing by the Settling Defendants.

  • If there were no Settlement and Plaintiffs failed to establish any essential legal or factual element of their claims against the Settling Defendants, neither Plaintiffs nor the other members of the Settlement Class would recover anything in this Action. Also, if the Settling Defendants were successful in proving any of their defenses, either at summary judgment, at trial, or on appeal, the Settlement Class could recover substantially less than the amount provided in the Settlement, or nothing at all.

  • As a Settlement Class Member, you are represented by Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel, unless you enter an appearance through counsel of your own choice at your own expense. You are not required to retain your own counsel, but, if you choose to do so, such counsel must file a notice of appearance on your behalf and must serve copies of his or her appearance on the attorneys listed in the section entitled, “When And Where Will The Court Decide Whether To Approve The Settlement?,” below.

    If you are a Settlement Class Member and do not wish to remain a Settlement Class Member, you may exclude yourself from the Settlement Class by following the instructions in the section entitled, “What If I Do Not Want To Be A Member Of The Settlement Class? How Do I Exclude Myself?,” below.

    If you are a Settlement Class Member and you wish to object to the proposed Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, and/or Lead Counsel’s application for attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses, and if you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you may present your objections by following the instructions in the section entitled, “When And Where Will The Court Decide Whether To Approve The Settlement?,” below.

    If you are a Settlement Class Member and you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you will be bound by any orders issued by the Court. If the Settlement is approved, the Court will enter a judgment (the “Judgment”). The Judgment will dismiss with prejudice the claims asserted against the Settling Defendants in the Action and will provide that, upon the Effective Date (as defined in the Stipulation), Plaintiffs and each of the other Settlement Class Members, on behalf of themselves, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, predecessors, successors, and assigns in their capacities as such, will be deemed to have, and by operation of law and of the Judgment will have, fully, finally and forever compromised, settled, released, resolved, relinquished, waived and discharged each and every Released Plaintiffs’ Claim (as defined in ¶ 34 of the Notice and below) against the Settling Defendants and the other Settling Defendants’ Released Parties (as defined in ¶ 35 of the Notice and below), and will forever be barred and enjoined from prosecuting any or all of the Released Plaintiffs’ Claims against any of the Settling Defendants’ Released Parties.

    “Released Plaintiffs’ Claims” mean any and all claims and causes of action of every nature and description, whether known claims or Unknown Claims (as defined in ¶ 36 of the Notice), and any and all debts, disputes, demands, rights, actions, liabilities, damages, losses, obligations, sums of money due, judgments, suits, amounts, matters, issues and charges of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any claims for interest, attorneys’ fees, expert or consulting fees, and any other costs, expenses, amounts, or liabilities whatsoever), whether fixed or contingent, accrued or unaccrued, liquidated or unliquidated, at law or in equity, matured or unmatured, foreseen or unforeseen, whether individual or class in nature, whether arising under federal, state, or foreign statutory or common law, or any other law, rule, or regulation, that Plaintiffs or any other member of the Settlement Class: (i) asserted in any complaint filed in the Action; or (ii) could have asserted in any forum that arise out of or are based upon the facts, allegations (including any and all allegations relating to the financial statements at issue in the Action), transactions, matters, events, disclosures, non-disclosures, occurrences, representations, statements, acts, omissions, or failures to act involved, set forth, or referred to in any complaint filed in the Action and that relate to the purchase or acquisition of comScore common stock during the Settlement Class Period, or that otherwise would have been barred by res judicata had the Action been fully litigated to a final judgment. Released Plaintiffs’ Claims do not include (i) any claims relating to the enforcement of the Settlement; (ii) any derivative claims asserted in any pending derivative action; (iii) any claims by any governmental entity arising out of any governmental investigation of comScore or Rentrak, or any of their respective former or current officers or directors, relating to the conduct alleged in the Action; (iv) any claims of any person or entity who or which submits a request for exclusion from the Settlement Class that is accepted by the Court; and (v) any claims against the Non-Settling Defendants or Ernst & Young.

    “Settling Defendants’ Released Parties” means the Settling Defendants, Settling Defendants’ Counsel, and their respective present and former officers and directors, trustees, agents, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, attorneys, insurers, reinsurers, employees, heirs, executors, administrators, trustees, Immediate Family members, beneficiaries, predecessors, successors, assigns, and assignees, in their capacities as such. For the avoidance of doubt, Settling Defendants’ Released Parties do not include any of the Non-Settling Defendants or Ernst & Young.

    “Unknown Claims” means any Released Plaintiffs’ Claims that any Plaintiff or any other Settlement Class Member does not know or suspect to exist in his, her, or its favor at the time of the release of those claims, and any Released Settling Defendants’ Claims that any Settling Defendant or any other Settling Defendants’ Released Party does not know or suspect to exist in his, her, or its favor at the time of the release of those claims, which, if known by him, her, or it might have affected his, her, or its decision(s) with respect to this Settlement. With respect to any and all Released Claims, the Settling Parties stipulate and agree that, upon the Effective Date of the Settlement, the Settling Parties will expressly waive, and each of the other Settlement Class Members and Settling Defendants’ Released Parties will be deemed to have waived, and by operation of the Judgment will have expressly waived, all provisions, rights, and benefits conferred by any law of any state or territory of the United States, or principle of common law or foreign law, which is similar, comparable, or equivalent to California Civil Code §1542, which provides:

    A general release does not extend to claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release, which if known by him or her must have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor.

    Plaintiffs and the Settling Defendants acknowledge, and each of the other Settlement Class Members and Settling Defendants’ Released Parties will be deemed by operation of law to have acknowledged, that the foregoing waiver was separately bargained for and is a key element of the Settlement.

    The Judgment will also provide that, upon the Effective Date, the Settling Defendants, on behalf of themselves, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, predecessors, successors, and assigns in their capacities as such, will be deemed to have, and by operation of law and of the Judgment will have, fully, finally and forever compromised, settled, released, resolved, relinquished, waived and discharged each and every Released Settling Defendants’ Claim (as defined in ¶ 38 of the Notice and below) against Plaintiffs and the other Plaintiffs’ Released Parties (as defined in ¶ 39 of the Notice and below), and will forever be barred and enjoined from prosecuting any or all of the Released Settling Defendants’ Claims against any of the Plaintiffs’ Released Parties.

    “Released Settling Defendants’ Claims” means any and all claims and causes of action of every nature and description, whether known claims or Unknown Claims, and any and all debts, disputes, demands, rights, actions, liabilities, damages, losses, obligations, sums of money due, judgments, suits, amounts, matters, issues, and charges of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any claims for interest, attorneys’ fees, expert or consulting fees, and any other costs, expenses, amounts, or liabilities whatsoever), whether fixed or contingent, accrued or unaccrued, liquidated or unliquidated, at law or in equity, matured or unmatured, foreseen or unforeseen, whether arising under federal, state, or foreign statutory or common law, or any other law, rule, or regulation, that arise out of, are based upon, or relate in any way to the institution, prosecution, or settlement of the claims against the Settling Defendants. Released Settling Defendants’ Claims do not include any claims relating to the enforcement of the Settlement.

    “Plaintiffs’ Released Parties” means Plaintiffs, all other Settlement Class Members, and their respective present and former officers and directors, trustees, agents, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, attorneys, insurers, reinsurers, employees, heirs, executors, administrators, trustees, Immediate Family members, beneficiaries, predecessors, successors, assigns, and assignees.

  • The Complaint asserted—and the Court sustained—claims arising from the Merger against the Rentrak Defendants. As discussed in further detail below, however, Plaintiffs have since voluntarily dismissed those claims after an Oregon state court issued an order releasing those claims in connection with the settlement of a separate action. Accordingly, the Rentrak Defendants are not parties to the Settlement, and the Settlement does not provide any recovery specific to the claims previously asserted in this Action against the Rentrak Defendants.

    Specifically, on September 12, 2017, a state court in Oregon issued an order granting final approval of a class settlement in an action entitled In re Rentrak Corporation Shareholders Litigation, No. 15CV27429 (Multnomah County Circuit Court, Oregon) (“In re Rentrak”) which released (among other things) claims under the federal securities laws against the Rentrak Defendants, including explicitly the claims asserted in this Action (the “In re Rentrak Settlement”). All Settlement Class Members on whose behalf the Complaint asserted claims against the Rentrak Defendants are included in the In re Rentrak Settlement class. Thus, final approval of the In re Rentrak Settlement released all claims against the Rentrak Defendants in this Action.

    No In re Rentrak Settlement class members objected to, or opted-out of, the In re Rentrak Settlement. When the In re Rentrak Settlement was announced, Plaintiffs’ Counsel and Plaintiff Huff evaluated the terms of the settlement and considered whether to object or opt-out prior to the final approval hearing. Plaintiff Huff determined not to object or opt-out, and to pursue his remaining federal claims against the remaining Defendants in this Court. Ultimately, the Oregon court found that the In re Rentrak Settlement presented a fair and reasonable settlement. The In re Rentrak Settlement recovered $19 million, nearly exhausting Rentrak’s remaining insurance coverage. The In re Rentrak Settlement expressly did not release the other federal securities claims asserted in this Action.

    It was an express condition of the In re Rentrak Settlement that the settlement proceeds could not be distributed until the claims against the Rentrak Defendants in this Action were dismissed with prejudice. Thus, Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel determined that voluntarily dismissing those claims would serve the Settlement Class’s interest by accelerating its access to the recovery from the In re Rentrak Settlement. Lead Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel believed that voluntary dismissal would cause no prejudice to the Settlement Class because the In re Rentrak Settlement released the claims of the Settlement Class Members against the Rentrak Defendants in this Action, and further because the In re Rentrak Settlement notice provided explicit notice that those claims would be released.

    Accordingly, on September 19, 2017, Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed with prejudice the Rentrak Defendants from this Action. This dismissal was without a court order, as permitted by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A). Thus, the Settlement will settle and release all claims remaining in this Action.

  • To be potentially eligible for a payment from the proceeds of the Settlement, you must be a member of the Settlement Class and must have completed and returned the Claim Form with adequate supporting documentation, postmarked no later than May 29, 2018. A Claim Form is included with the Notice. You may also obtain a Claim Form from the website maintained by the Claims Administrator for the Settlement, www.comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com, or you may request that a Claim Form be mailed to you by calling the Claims Administrator toll free at 1-833-609-9715 or by emailing the Claims Administrator at info@comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com. Please retain all records of your ownership of and transactions in comScore and Rentrak common stock, as they may be needed to document your Claim. If you requested exclusion from the Settlement Class or do not submit a timely and valid Claim Form, you will not share in the Net Settlement Fund.

  • At this time, it is not possible to make any determination as to how much any individual Settlement Class Member may receive from the Settlement.

    Pursuant to the Settlement, comScore has agreed to pay or caused to be paid a total of $110,000,000.00 for the benefit of the Settlement Class, with (i) $27,231,527.20 paid in cash (the “Cash Settlement Amount”) deposited into an escrow account controlled by Lead Counsel; and (ii) $82,768,472.80 paid in shares of comScore common stock (the “Settlement Shares”).

    The Settlement Amount (i.e., the Cash Settlement Amount plus the Settlement Shares) plus any interest earned thereon is referred to as the “Settlement Fund.” If the Settlement is approved by the Court and the Effective Date occurs, the “Net Settlement Fund” (that is, the Settlement Fund (including, if applicable, the net cash proceeds from the sale of any Class Settlement Shares as well as accrued interest thereon) less (i) all federal, state and/or local taxes on any income earned by the Settlement Fund (including any appreciation in value of the Settlement Shares); the reasonable expenses and costs incurred in connection with determining the amount of, and paying, any taxes owed by the Settlement Fund (including reasonable expenses of tax attorneys and accountants); and all taxes imposed on payments by the Settlement Fund, including withholding taxes; (ii) the costs and expenses incurred in connection with providing notice to Settlement Class Members and administering the Settlement on behalf of Settlement Class Members; and (iii) any attorneys’ fees and Litigation Expenses awarded by the Court) will be distributed to Settlement Class Members who submitted valid Claim Forms, in accordance with the proposed Plan of Allocation or such other plan of allocation as the Court may approve.

    The proposed Plan of Allocation for the Net Settlement Fund, which is subject to Court approval, is set forth in pages 14-18 of the Notice. 

    The Net Settlement Fund will not be distributed, unless and until the Court has approved the Settlement and a plan of allocation, and the time for any petition for rehearing, appeal or review, whether by certiorari or otherwise, has expired. 

    Neither the Settling Defendants, the Settling Defendants’ Released Parties, nor any other person or entity that paid any portion of the Settlement Amount on their behalf are entitled to get back any portion of the Settlement Fund once the Court’s order or judgment approving the Settlement becomes Final. Except as otherwise provided in the Stipulation, the Settling Defendants and the other Settling Defendants’ Released Parties shall not have any involvement in, or any responsibility, authority or liability whatsoever for, the administration of the Settlement or the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund, and shall have no liability whatsoever to any person or entity in connection with the foregoing.

    Approval of the Settlement is independent from approval of a plan of allocation. Any determination with respect to a plan of allocation will not affect the Settlement.

    Unless the Court otherwise orders, any Settlement Class Member who failed to submit a valid Claim Form postmarked on or before May 29, 2018 shall be fully and forever barred from receiving payments pursuant to the Settlement but will in all other respects remain a Settlement Class Member and be subject to the provisions of the Stipulation, including the terms of any Judgment entered and the releases given. This means that each Settlement Class Member releases the Released Plaintiffs’ Claims (as defined in ¶ 34 of the Notice) against the Settling Defendants’ Released Parties (as defined in ¶ 35 of the Notice) and will be permanently barred and enjoined from bringing any action, claim, or other proceeding of any kind against the Settling Defendants’ Released Parties with respect to the Released Plaintiffs’ Claims, whether or not such Settlement Class Member submits a Claim Form.

    Participants in and beneficiaries of a plan covered by ERISA (“ERISA Plan”) should NOT include any information relating to their transactions in comScore or Rentrak common stock held through the ERISA Plan in any Claim Form that they may submit in this Action. They should include ONLY those shares that they purchased, acquired, or held outside of the ERISA Plan. Claims based on any ERISA Plan’s purchases or acquisitions of comScore common stock during the Class Period, (including comScore common stock acquired in exchange for shares of Rentrak common stock in connection with the Merger, may be made by the plan’s trustees. To the extent any of the Defendants or any of the other persons or entities excluded from the Settlement Class are participants in the ERISA Plan, such persons or entities shall not receive, either directly or indirectly, any portion of the recovery that may be obtained from the Settlement by the ERISA Plan.

    The Court has reserved jurisdiction to allow, disallow, or adjust on equitable grounds the Claim of any Settlement Class Member.

    Each Claimant shall be deemed to have submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to his, her or its Claim Form.

    Only Settlement Class Members will be potentially eligible to share in the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund. Persons and entities that have excluded themselves from the Settlement Class by definition or excluded themselves from the Settlement Class pursuant to request will not be eligible to receive a distribution from the Net Settlement Fund and should not submit Claim Forms. The only securities that are potentially eligible in the Settlement are shares of comScore common stock purchased or otherwise acquired during the Settlement Class Period (including shares of comScore common stock acquired in exchange for shares of Rentrak common stock in connection with the Merger).

  • Plaintiffs’ Counsel have received approval for payment for their services in pursuing claims against the Defendants on behalf of the Settlement Class. Plaintiffs’ Counsel has been reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses. Final approval of the Settlement, Lead Counsel applied to the Court for an award of attorneys’ fees for all Plaintiffs’ Counsel in an amount not to exceed 25% of the Settlement Fund (in combination of cash and stock in the same proportion that the Cash Settlement Amount and the Settlement Shares comprise the Settlement Amount). Lead Counsel has fee-sharing agreements with the other Plaintiffs’ Counsel firms, Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, and The McKeige Law Firm, which provide that Lead Counsel will compensate these firms from the attorneys’ fees that Lead Counsel receives in this Action in amounts commensurate with those firms’ efforts in this litigation. At the same time, Lead Counsel also applied for reimbursement of Litigation Expenses in an amount not to exceed $450,000.00, which may include an application for reimbursement of the reasonable costs and expenses incurred by Plaintiffs directly related to their representation of the Settlement Class. The Court approved the amount of any award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses. Such sums as may be approved by the Court will be paid from the Settlement Fund. Settlement Class Members are not personally liable for any such fees or expenses.

  • Each Settlement Class Member will be bound by all determinations and judgments in this lawsuit, whether favorable or unfavorable, unless such person or entity mails or delivers a written Request for Exclusion from the Settlement Class, addressed to comScore Securities Litigation, EXCLUSIONS, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91346, Seattle, WA 98111. The exclusion must have been received no later than May 17, 2018. You will not be able to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class after that date. Each Request for Exclusion must (i) state the name, address and telephone number of the person or entity requesting exclusion, and, in the case of entities, the name and telephone number of the appropriate contact person; (ii) state that such person or entity “requests exclusion from the Settlement Class in Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association, et al. v. comScore, Inc., et al., No. 1:16-cv-1820”; (iii) state the number of shares of comScore common stock that the person or entity requesting exclusion purchased/acquired and sold during the period between February 11, 2014 and November 23, 2016, inclusive (including any shares of comScore common stock acquired as a result of the Merger between comScore and Rentrak consummated on January 29, 2016), as well as the dates and prices of each such purchase/acquisition and sale, and the number of shares of comScore common stock held as of the opening of trading on February 11, 2014; and (iv) be signed by the person or entity requesting exclusion or an authorized representative thereof. A Request for Exclusion shall not be valid and effective, unless it provides all the information called for in this paragraph and is received within the time stated above, or is otherwise accepted by the Court.

    If you do not want to be part of the Settlement Class, you must follow these instructions for exclusion, even if you have pending, or later file, another lawsuit, arbitration, or other proceeding relating to any Released Plaintiffs’ Claim against any of the Settling Defendants’ Released Parties.

    If you ask to be excluded from the Settlement Class, you will not be eligible to receive any payment out of the Net Settlement Fund.

    comScore has the right to terminate the Settlement if valid requests for exclusion are received from persons and entities entitled to be members of the Settlement Class in an amount that exceeds an amount agreed to by Lead Plaintiffs and comScore.

  • Settlement Class Members do not need to attend the Settlement Hearing. The Court will consider any submission made in accordance with the provisions below, even if a Settlement Class Member does not attend the hearing. You could have participated in the Settlement without attending the Settlement Hearing. Please Note: The date and time of the Settlement Hearing may change without further written notice to the Settlement Class. You should monitor the Court’s docket and the website maintained by the Claims Administrator, www.comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com, before making plans to attend the Settlement Hearing. You may also confirm the date and time of the Settlement Hearing by contacting Lead Counsel.

    The Settlement Hearing was held on June 7, 2018 at 4:30 p.m., before the Honorable John G. Koeltl at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, Courtroom 14A, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, to determine, among other things, (i) whether the proposed Settlement should be approved as fair, reasonable, and adequate; (ii) whether the Action should be dismissed with prejudice against the Settling Defendants and the Releases specified and described in the Stipulation (and in the Notice) should be granted; (iii) whether the terms and conditions of the issuance of the Settlement Shares pursuant to an exemption from registration requirements under Section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Act are fair to all persons and entities to whom the shares will be issued; (iv) whether the proposed Plan of Allocation should be approved as fair and reasonable; and (v) whether Lead Counsel’s application for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses should be approved. The Court reserves the right to approve the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, Lead Counsel’s motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses, and/or any other matter related to the Settlement at or after the Settlement Hearing without further notice to the members of the Settlement Class.

    Any Settlement Class Member who or which did not request exclusion may object to the Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and/or Lead Counsel’s motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses. Objections must be in writing. You must have filed any written objection, together with copies of all other papers and briefs supporting the objection, with the Clerk’s Office at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York at the address set forth below on or before May 17, 2018. You must have also serve the papers on Lead Counsel and on Representative Settling Defendants’ Counsel (defined below) at the addresses set forth below so that the papers were received on or before May 17, 2018.

     

    Clerk's Office
    Office of the Clerk
    United States District Court
    Southern District of New York
    Daniel Patrick Moynihan
    United States Courthouse
    500 Pearl Street New York, NY 10007-1312

    Lead Counsel
    Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP John C. Browne, Esq.
    1251 Avenue of the Americas,
    44th Floor
    New York, NY 1002

    Representative Settling Defendants' Counsel
    Jones Day
    Robert C. Micheletto, Esq.
    250 Vesey Street
    New York, NY 10281

    Any objection (i) must state the name, address and telephone number of the person or entity objecting and must be signed by the objector; (ii) must contain a statement of the Settlement Class Member’s objection or objections, and the specific reasons for each objection, including any legal and evidentiary support the Settlement Class Member wishes to bring to the Court’s attention; and (iii) must include documents sufficient to prove membership in the Settlement Class, including the number of shares of comScore common stock that the person or entity requesting exclusion purchased/acquired and sold during the period between February 11, 2014 and November 23, 2016, inclusive (including any shares of comScore common stock acquired as a result of the Merger between comScore and Rentrak consummated on January 29, 2016), as well as the dates and prices of each such purchase/acquisition and sale, and the number of shares of comScore common stock held as of the opening of trading on February 11, 2014. You may not object to the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, or Lead Counsel’s motion for attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses if you exclude yourself from the Settlement Class or if you are not a member of the Settlement Class.

    You may file a written objection without having to appear at the Settlement Hearing. You may not, however, appear at the Settlement Hearing to present your objection, unless you first file and serve a written objection in accordance with the procedures described above, unless the Court orders otherwise.

    If you wished to be heard orally at the hearing in opposition to the approval of the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, or Lead Counsel’s motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses, and if you timely file and serve a written objection as described above, you must also file a notice of appearance with the Clerk’s Office and serve it on Lead Counsel and Representative Settling Defendants’ Counsel at the addresses set forth in ¶ 84 of the Notice, so that it was received on or before May 17, 2018. Persons who intend to object and desire to present evidence at the Settlement Hearing must include in their written objection or notice of appearance the identity of any witnesses they may call to testify and exhibits they intend to introduce into evidence at the hearing. Such persons may be heard orally at the discretion of the Court.

    You are not required to hire an attorney to represent you in making written objections or in appearing at the Settlement Hearing. However, if you decide to hire an attorney, it will be at your own expense, and that attorney must file a notice of appearance with the Court and serve it on Lead Counsel and Representative Settling Defendants’ Counsel at the addresses set forth in ¶ 84 of the Notice so that the notice would have been received on or before May 17, 2018.

    Unless the Court orders otherwise, any Settlement Class Member who does not object in the manner described above will be deemed to have waived any objection and shall be forever foreclosed from making any objection to the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, or Lead Counsel’s motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses. Settlement Class Members do not need to appear at the Settlement Hearing or take any other action to indicate their approval.

  • If you purchased or otherwise acquired comScore common stock during the Class Period (i.e., between February 11, 2014 and November 23, 2016, inclusive), including any shares of comScore common stock acquired as a result of the Merger between comScore and Rentrak consummated on January 29, 2016, for the beneficial interest of persons or organizations other than yourself, you would have either (i) within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of the Notice, request from the Claims Administrator sufficient copies of the Notice and Claim Form (the “Notice Packet”) to forward to all such beneficial owners and within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of those Notice Packets forward them to all such beneficial owners; or (ii) within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of the Notice, provide a list of the names and addresses of all such beneficial owners to comScore Securities Litigation, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91346, Seattle, WA 98111. If you choose the second option, the Claims Administrator will send a copy of the Notice and the Claim Form to the beneficial owners. Upon full compliance with these directions, such nominees may seek reimbursement of their reasonable expenses actually incurred, by providing the Claims Administrator with proper documentation supporting the expenses for which reimbursement is sought. Copies of the Notice and the Claim Form may also be obtained from the website maintained by the Claims Administrator, www.comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com, by calling the Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-833-609-9715, or by emailing the Claims Administrator at info@comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com.

  • The Notice contains only a summary of the terms of the proposed Settlement. For more detailed information about the matters involved in this Action, you are referred to the papers on file in the Action, including the Stipulation, which may be inspected during regular office hours at the Office of the Clerk, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York 10007. Additionally, copies of the Stipulation and any related orders entered by the Court will be posted on the website maintained by the Claims Administrator, www.comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com.

    All inquiries concerning the Notice and the Claim Form should be directed to:

    comScore Securities Litigation
    c/o JND Legal Administration
    P.O. Box 91346
    Seattle, WA 98111
    1-833-609-9715
    info@comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com
    www.comScoreSecuritiesLitigation.com

    and/or

    John C. Browne, ESQ.
    BERNSTEIN LITOWITZ BERGER & GROSSMANN LLP
    1251 Avenue of the Americas
    New York, NY 10020
    1-800-380-8496
    blbg@blbglaw.com

     

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Mail

comScore Securities Litigation
c/o JND Legal Administration
P.O. Box 91346
Seattle, WA 98111