Liberty Tax, Inc. (Nasdaq: TAX)


A class action has been commenced on behalf of purchasers of Liberty Tax, Inc. (Nasdaq: TAX) common stock between June 29, 2016 to December 11, 2017 (the “Class Period”) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose adverse information regarding the Company’s business and operations. Specifically, defendants failed to disclose that Liberty Tax’s former CEO John T. Hewitt had created an inappropriate tone at the top that led to ineffective entity level controls over the organization. As a result of the failure to disclose this information, Liberty Tax securities traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period, with the price of its stock reaching a high of more than $15 per share.

On November 7, 2017, Liberty Tax announced the abrupt resignation of its CFO, Kathleen Donovan. On this news, the price of Liberty Tax shares fell $2.25 per share, or 16%, to close at $11 per share.

Then on December 11, 2017, Liberty Tax filed a Form 8-K with the SEC announcing the sudden resignation of its independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, and a delay in the filing of its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2017. According to the Form 8-K, KPMG had expressed “concern that the actions of former Chief Executive Officer John T. Hewitt, who remains the Chairman of the Board and controlling stockholder as the sole holder of the Company’s outstanding Class B common stock, have created an inappropriate tone at the top which leads to ineffective entity level controls over the organization.” The Form 8-K also stated that the Audit Committee had investigated allegation of misconduct by Hewitt prior to his termination on September 5, 2017, which included Hewitt replacing two independent Board members “around the time information relating to this investigation appeared in media reports.” In addition, Hewitt “may have continued to interact with franchisees and area developers of the Company” after his termination. As a result, KPMG “informed the Audit Committee and management that it ha[d] concerns regarding the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as related to integrity and tone at the top and such matters should be evaluated as potential material weaknesses,” and that it would “no longer be able to rely on management’s representations, and therefore . . . KPMG [was] unwilling to be associated with the Company’s consolidated financial statements.” On this news, the price of the Liberty Tax shares fell $0.80 per share, or over 6%, to close at $11.15 per share on December 11, 2017.

If you are a current shareholder and purchased stock between June 29, 2016 to December 11, 2017, and would like to discuss your options of exercising your rights as a shareholder, please contact us.

Please submit the following information so we can determine if you qualify for the suit. If you don't know all the specific details, partial information is also acceptable.

Personal Information
Name:
Phone #:
E-mail Address:
Stock Information
Do you currently own the stock? Yes   No
Purchase Date:
Quantity Purchased:
Purchase Price Per Share:

Please Note: Neither the submission to nor the receipt of information by The Law Offices of Marc S. Henzel or one of its attorneys through this website constitutes an agreement by the firm to represent the individual and does not create an attorney-client relationship.