Contact Information: Contact: Lewis Kahn KGS 1-866-467-1400, ext. 100 504-648-1850 email: lewis.kahn@kglg.com
KGS Announces Filing of Shareholders Securities Fraud Class Action Against TOP Tankers, Inc. -- (NASDAQ: TOPT)
| Source: Kahn Gauthier Swick, LLC
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 11, 2006 -- Kahn Gauthier Swick, LLC ("KGS") has filed
the first class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York, on behalf of shareholders who purchased,
exchanged or otherwise acquired the common stock of TOP Tankers, Inc.
("TOP" or the "Company'') (NASDAQ : TOPT ) between June 28, 2005 and November
28, 2006 (the "Class Period").
TOP and certain of its officers and directors are charged with issuing a
series of materially false and misleading statements in violation of
Section 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated
thereunder. On November 29, 2006, TOP shocked investors after it announced
that Ernst & Young, LLP, the Company's independent auditors, had resigned
over a disagreement related to its accounting for certain sale and lease
back transactions, and that it would be forced to restate its interim
financial for the entire half of 2006. The revelation of this news caused
shares of TOP to fall almost 15% in the single trading day, to close just
above $5.00 per share.
The Complaint alleges that TOP materially misrepresented and failed to
disclose conditions that adversely affected the Company throughout the
Class Period in order to: (1) artificially inflate the price of Company
shares by deceiving shareholders concerning TOP's business, operations,
management and the intrinsic value of TOP common stock; (2) register for
sale with the SEC, millions of shares of TOP stock, and to provide
shareholders with a massive $7.50 dividend per share -- almost $40 million
of which was paid to defendants and their families; (3) permit Kingdom
Holdings, an entity owned by the family of defendant Evangelos Pistiolis,
to liquidate almost 900,000 Company shares during the Class Period while in
possession of material adverse information about the Company.
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff in this case, you must move the
Court no later than 60 days from today. Any member of the purported class
may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their
choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. If
you would like to discuss your legal rights, you may e-mail or call KGS,
without obligation or cost to you. You may contact Managing Partner Lewis
Kahn of KGS direct, toll free 1-866-467-1400, ext. 100, or 504-648-1850, or
by email at lewis.kahn@kglg.com.
SPECIAL NOTICE: While federal law does not prohibit other lawyers from
"announcing" this lawsuit, KGS, with our co-counsel, is the law firm that
researched, investigated, drafted and filed the securities fraud case
against TOP. If you are a TOP shareholder who decides to contact one of
these lawyers, KGS reminds you to fully interview any lawyer to assure that
they fully understand the facts surrounding the TOP claims our firm has
filed in Court.