SeaWorld Settles Securities Class Action for $65M

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. recently settled a securities class action for $65 million, where investors alleged SeaWorld misled them about park attendance declines following the release of the 2013 documentary ,“Blackfish.” The documentary depicted the brutality involved in capturing killer whales and the hazards that SeaWorld’s trainers faced.

The securities class action – filed in 2014 – alleged that SeaWorld blamed poor attendance on factors other than the documentary before ultimately admitting that Blackfish-related issues were the cause. The plaintiffs alleged that shares plummeted 33% after SeaWorld’s admission.

The investors achieved class certification in late 2017. The investors avoided summary judgment by citing, in part, its expert witness’s opinion that SeaWorld’s share price had dropped specifically because of the belated admission that Blackfish was causing the attendance decline.

The court must still approve the proposed $65 million settlement. According to SeaWorld’s SEC filing, insurers would pay about $45.5 million, and SeaWorld would contribute $19.5 million, towards the settlement.

If you have lost money in an investment due to misleading statements, please contact us.

The Business Trial Group’s securities attorneys help investors recover their monetary losses on a contingency basis. We are only paid if we successfully recover money for you. We have helped investors recover tens of millions of dollars of investment losses. And we bring individual and class-action cases, depending on the situation.

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