SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the Northern District of Ohio on behalf of purchasers of Covia Holdings Corporation and/or Fairmount Santrol Holdings Inc. (OTC:CVIAQ) securities between March 15, 2016 and June 29, 2020, inclusive (the “Class Period”). The case is captioned Plagens v. Deckard, No. 20-cv-02744, and is assigned to Judge Dan A. Polster. The Covia class action lawsuit charges certain Covia and Fairmount Santrol officers with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased Covia or Fairmount Santrol securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Covia class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Covia class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Covia class action lawsuit. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery of the Covia class action lawsuit is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Covia class action lawsuit or have questions concerning your rights regarding the Covia class action lawsuit, please provide your information here or contact counsel, Michael Albert of Robbins Geller, at 800/449-4900 or 619/231-1058 or via e-mail at malbert@rgrdlaw.com. Lead plaintiff motions for the Covia class action lawsuit must be filed with the court no later than February 8, 2021.
Covia provides minerals and materials solutions for the industrial and energy markets, including producing proprietary sand for use in fracking. On June 30, 2020, the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) delisted Covia stock and now Covia’s shares trade over the counter under the ticker symbol CVIAQ. Before a merger with Unimin Corporation in June 2018, shares of Fairmount Santrol traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol FMSA. On June 1, 2018, Fairmount Santrol and Unimin entered a strategic combination, whereupon Fairmount Santrol shareholders received approximately $0.73 in cash consideration and .2 shares of Covia for each share of Fairmount Santrol held. In the 2010s, fracking became widely accepted and brought the United States closer to energy independence. Sand, used as a proppant, is an integral component of fracking. Proppant sand became a growing business. In a competitive industry, Covia/Fairmont Santrol differentiated itself with its purportedly high-quality fracking sand. Covia/Fairmont Santrol marketed the new products to the biggest drillers. Drillers paid a premium at the time for specialized sand from Fairmount Santrol and other producers, seeking to improve output by any means. At its peak price in the mid-2010s, a type of sand that had grains coated with resin went for $250 per ton, a markup of $150 per ton over the cost of raw sand.
The Covia class action lawsuit alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Covia/Fairmont Santrol’s proprietary “value-added” proppants were not necessarily more effective than ordinary sand; (2) Covia/Fairmont Santrol’s revenues, which were dependent on its proprietary “value-added” proppants, were based on misrepresentations; (3) when Covia/Fairmont Santrol insiders raised this issue, defendants did not take meaningful steps to rectify the issue; and (4) as a result, defendants’ statements about Covia/Fairmont Santrol’s business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
On March 22, 2019, Covia/Fairmont Santrol revealed that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) investigating certain value-added proppants. On this news, Covia’s share price fell nearly 7%. On November 6, 2019, Covia revealed that, in addition to the earlier SEC subpoena, additional information had been requested and subpoenaed regarding current and former employees. On this news, Covia’s share price fell an additional 4.3%. Finally, on June 30, 2020, the NYSE delisted Covia, stating in part that “the Company is no longer suitable for listing . . . after the Company’s June 29, 2020 disclosure that the Company filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.” On this news, Covia’s share prices fell more than 37%, damaging investors.
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world’s leading law firms representing investors in securities class action litigation. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller has obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history. For seven consecutive years, ISS Securities Class Action Services has ranked the Firm in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report as one of the top law firms in the world in both amount recovered for shareholders and total number of class action settlements. Robbins Geller attorneys have helped shape the securities laws and have recovered tens of billions of dollars on behalf of aggrieved victims. Beyond securing financial recoveries for defrauded investors, Robbins Geller also specializes in implementing corporate governance reforms, helping to improve the financial markets for investors worldwide. Robbins Geller attorneys are consistently recognized by courts, professional organizations, and the media as leading lawyers in the industry. Please visit http://www.rgrdlaw.com for more information.
