Canty v. Day

13 F. Supp. 3d 333, 2014 WL 1388676
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 9, 2014
DocketNos. 13 Civ. 5629 (KBF), 13 Civ. 5977 (KBF)
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 13 F. Supp. 3d 333 (Canty v. Day) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Canty v. Day, 13 F. Supp. 3d 333, 2014 WL 1388676 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

KATHERINE B. FORREST, District Judge:

Plaintiffs Thomas Canty and Tammy M. Federman bring these derivative actions on behalf of nominal defendant lululemon athletica inc. (“lululemon” or the “company”) against thirteen current or former lululemon directors or executives for violations of Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 14a-9 thereunder, as well as state law claims for breaches of fiduciary duties, arising out of “serious quality control problems” and “materially false and misleading statements” that were made concerning those problems. (See Am. Compl. ¶¶2, 209-238, ECF No. 20.) Plaintiffs’ claims center around lululemon’s March 2013 recall of one of its “flagship” products — its black luon yoga pants — and the events that followed, including the announcement of the departure of lululem-on’s chief executive officer (“CEO”) and stock sales by its founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors in June 2013. (See id. ¶¶ 15-34.)

Plaintiffs originally filed these actions on August 12 and 23, 2013, respectively. On October 3, 2013, these actions were transferred to the undersigned and consolidated for pretrial purposes.1 In an order dated October 24, 2013, and as discussed at the conference that day, the Court ordered plaintiffs to either file an amended complaint or designate one of the two previously filed complaints as the operative complaint. (ECF No. 9.)2 On November 8, 2013, plaintiffs designated the complaint in Canty v. Day et al., as the operative complaint. (ECF No. 11.) Defendants thereafter moved to dismiss the operative complaint on December 11, 2013 pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23.1. (ECF Nos. 12-14.) By letter dated December 18, 2013, plaintiffs requested leave to file an amended complaint. (ECF No. 15.) The Court granted plaintiffs’ request, indicating that it was its intention to rule on the sufficiency of the pleadings only once. (ECF No. 18.)

Plaintiffs thereafter filed an amended complaint on January 17, 2014. Defendants again moved to dismiss pursuant to Rule 23.1 on January 31, 2014, and the motion became fully briefed on February 21, 2014. The Court held argument on the motions on April 4, 2014.

For the reasons set forth below, defendants’ motion to dismiss is GRANTED and these actions are DISMISSED without prejudice.

1. FACTS

A. The Parties

Plaintiffs Canty and Federman have been holders of lululemon stock since June 2011 and May 2010, respectively. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 46, 47.)

[339]*339Defendants Robert Bensoussan, Michael Casey, RoAnn Costin, Christine McCormick Day, William Glenn, Martha A.M. Morfitt, Rhoda M. Pitcher, Thomas S. Sternberg, Jerry Strizke, Emily White, and Dennis J. Wilson (collectively, with the exception of Day and Wilson, the “Director Defendants”) served as lululemon’s Board of Directors on the date the instant actions were filed. (Id. ¶¶ 49-50, 58-61.) Director Defendants Casey, Morfitt, Glenn, and White served on the Board’s Audit Committee during the “Relevant Period” (which is defined as 2012 to present). (Id. ¶¶ 1, 53, 54, 57, 61, 63.) Director Defendants Bensoussan, Casey, Pitcher, and Sternberg served on the Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee during the Relevant Period. (Id. ¶¶ 54, 55, 58, 59, 64.)

Day served as lululemon’s CEO from July 2008 until January 2014. (Id. ¶ 49.) Day’s resignation was announced on June 10, 2013, but she remained with lululemon until her successor officially took over as CEO in January 2014. (Id.)

Wilson is lululemon’s founder, and has been a member of the Board and the company’s largest individual shareholder since 1998. (Id. ¶ 50.) Wilson has served as Chairman of the Board since 1998, but announced in December 2013 that, although he will remain on the board, he intends to resign as Chairman shortly before lululemon’s annual meeting in June 2014. (Id.) The company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed on March 21, 2013 states that Wilson “controls a significant percentage of our stock and is able to exercise significant influence over our affairs,” and that he “is able to influence or control ... the election of directors.” (Id.)

Defendant John E. Currie has served as an Executive Vice President (“EVP”) and CFO at lululemon since January 2007. (Id. ¶ 51.) Defendant Sheree Waterson served as Chief Product Officer until April 15, 2013, and previously served as EVP, General Merchandise Management and Sourcing beginning in June 2008. (Id. ¶ 52.) Neither Currie nor Waterson are alleged to be or to have been directors.

B. Lululemon

Nominal defendant lululemon is a Delaware corporation with its principal executive offices in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Id. ¶¶ 1, 48.)

Lululemon designs and sells premium athletic apparel and accessories, including yoga pants, shorts, and tops. (Id. ¶3.) Lululemon’s business model involves selling garments at high prices (approximately $100 per pair of pants and $60 per shirt) based upon their purported high quality, offering minimal discounts, and maintaining low store inventory to drive demand. (Id. ¶¶ 3, 70, 142.) Lululemon’s most important and popular products are women’s fitness pants designed from a proprietary material known as “luon.” (Id. ¶ 71.)

During Day’s tenure as CEO, the Company’s apparel sales led to enormous growth. (Id. ¶83.) In just a few short years, from 2009 to 2012, lululemon quadrupled annual revenues to $1.37 billion, quadrupled gross profits to $763 million, and more than doubled its number of stores to over 200. (Id.) Fueled by strong financial results, lululemon’s stock price increased dramatically, from approximately $4 per share at the beginning of 2009 to approximately $70 per share at the end of 2012. (Id. ¶ 85.) Black-colored luon products, a significant driver of sales, contributed substantially to this success. (Id.)

C. The Alleged Wrongdoing

Plaintiffs allege that the Director Defendants were aware of certain “red flags” concerning quality control issues at lulu-lemon. Specifically, in November 2007, The [340]*340New York Times revealed that the Company’s “Vitasea” line of seaweed fabric— which lululemon claimed released “marine amino acids, minerals, and vitamins into the skin” — in fact contained no seaweed at all. (Id. ¶¶ 7, 90.) Lululemon was forced to apologize for and withdraw its prior claims of the line’s health benefits and Wilson was forced to . concede that in fact no tests had been conducted to confirm the veracity of these claims. (Id. ¶¶ 90, 91.)

In December 2010, it was revealed that the company shipped and distributed reusable shopping bags that had been printed using ink containing high levels of lead, (Id. ¶¶ 8, 94.)

In late 2011 and 2012, many customers complained that luon garments “bled” when used during exercise, or when it came into contact with sweat or water. (Id. ¶¶ 9-10, 96,100.)

In February and March 2013, customers began reporting that certain brightly colored luon pant fabrics were sheer when worn. (Id.

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13 F. Supp. 3d 333, 2014 WL 1388676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canty-v-day-nysd-2014.