TORONTO – A Saskatchewan lawyer has filed a class-action lawsuit in Canada against Facebook, claiming the social media giant misled most of its investors ahead of its initial public offering last month.
The suit, led by Regina-based lawyer Tony Merchant, says Facebook worked together with its banks to distribute incomplete and inaccurate financial information to all but a few preferred investors.
A claim has already been filed in Saskatchewan, and more will be filed in Ontario and British Columbia later next week.
Facebook Inc. began trading publicly in mid-May following one of the most anticipated stock offerings in history.
The initial public offering of stock priced at US$38, at the top of a projected range that Facebook had already boosted just days earlier.
Since the IPO, the stock has been down on nine trading days and up on five. Facebook’s stock price has gone as low as $25.52 since the IPO.