Bank of New York Mellon ADRs
Normand, et al. v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., No. 1:16-cv-00212-LAK-JLC (S.D.N.Y.)
Lieff Cabraser, together with co-counsel, represented a proposed class of holders of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) (negotiable U.S. securities representing ownership of publicly traded shares in a non-U.S. corporation), for which BNY Mellon served as the depositary bank. Plaintiffs alleged that under the contractual agreements underlying the ADRs, BNY Mellon was responsible for “promptly” converting cash distributions (such as dividends) received for ADRs into U.S. dollars for the benefit of ADR holders, and was required to act without bad faith.
Plaintiffs alleged that, instead, when doing the ADR cash conversions, BNY Mellon used the range of exchange rates available during the trading session in a manner that was unfavorable for ADR holders, and in doing so, improperly skimmed profits from distributions owed and payable to the class.
In 2019, the court granted final approval of a $72.5 million settlement of the action.
