STEVENSON, Md., Nov. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The securities litigation law firm of Brower Piven, A Professional Corporation, announces that a class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of purchasers of National Beverage Corp. (Nasdaq: FIZZ ) (“National Beverage” or the “Company”) securities during the period between July 16, 2015 and September 28, 2016, inclusive (the “Class Period”). Investors who wish to become proactively involved in the litigation have until December 5, 2016 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff.
If you wish to choose counsel to represent you and the Class, you must apply to be appointed lead plaintiff and be selected by the Court. The lead plaintiff will direct the litigation and participate in important decisions including whether to accept a settlement for the Class in the action. The lead plaintiff will be selected from among applicants claiming the largest loss from investment in National Beverage securities during the Class Period. Members of the Class will be represented by the lead plaintiff and counsel chosen by the lead plaintiff. No class has yet been certified in the above action.
The complaint accuses the defendants of violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by virtue of the defendants’ failure to disclose during the Class Period that National Beverage lacked effective internal controls over financial reporting due to undisclosed channeling of expenses through off the books entities and undisclosed material related parties transactions.
According to the complaint, following a September 28, 2016 report revealing that National Beverage’s former Chief Financial Officer and Chairman admitted to manipulating the Company’s earnings and directing his son to make fake invoices, that the Company refused to allow a potential acquirer to perform adequate due diligence which led to the failure of a significant transaction, that National Beverage officers are compensated by a privately held company which disallows shareholder visibility, that the Company’s former counsel testified that he and former general counsel “fudged facts” on the Company’s behalf in a previous litigation, and that gifts of stock were not disclosed in the Company’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the value of National Beverage shares declined significantly.
If you have suffered a loss in excess of $100,000 from investment in National Beverage securities purchased on or after July 16, 2015 and held through the revelation of negative information during and/or at the end of the Class Period and would like to learn more about this lawsuit and your ability to participate as a lead plaintiff, without cost or obligation to you, please visit our website at http://www.browerpiven.com/currentsecuritiescases.html . You may also request more information by contacting Brower Piven either by email at hoffman@browerpiven.com or by telephone at (410) 415-6616. Brower Piven also encourages anyone with information regarding the Company’s conduct during the period in question to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.
Attorneys at Brower Piven have extensive experience in litigating securities and other class action cases and have been advocating for the rights of shareholders since the 1980s. If you choose to retain counsel, you may retain Brower Piven without financial obligation or cost to you, or you may retain other counsel of your choice. You need take no action at this time to be a member of the class.
CONTACT: Charles J. Piven Brower Piven, A Professional Corporation 1925 Old Valley Road Stevenson, Maryland 21153 Telephone: 410-415-6616 hoffman@browerpiven.com
