Zynga in $23 Million Settlement Over Alleged Fraud Tied to IPO

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 8 August 2015 15:57 IST
Zynga Inc reached a $23 million (roughly Rs. 146 crores) settlement to end litigation accusing the gaming company known for "FarmVille" of defrauding shareholders about its business prospects before and after its December 2011 initial public offering.

In its quarterly report made public on Friday, Zynga said the settlement in principle was reached this week through mediation and would have no financial impact on the company because insurers would fund the entire payout.

The accord requires final documentation, and eventual approval by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in San Francisco, where Zynga is based.

Advertisement

Zynga began struggling soon after its IPO from a failure to develop games as popular as "FarmVille," and as customers switched to rival games played on mobile devices, such as King Digital Entertainment Plc's "Candy Crush Saga."

In the lawsuit, shareholders led by David Fee accused Zynga of concealing declining user activity, masking how changes in a Facebook Inc platform for its games would affect demand, and inflating its 2012 revenue forecast.

They also said Zynga hid weaknesses to enable insiders to sell $593 million (roughly Rs. 3,781 crores) of stock before a post-IPO lockup expired, and avoid a steep plunge in its share price.

Zynga priced its IPO at $10 per share on Dec. 15, 2011. The share price peaked at $15.91 on March 2, 2012, but slid below $3 less than five months later, wiping out several billions of dollars of market value.

Advertisement

The settlement is not reflected in court records. It typically takes a few months for similar class-action accords to win judicial approval.

In a statement on Friday, Zynga said the settlement removes the "distraction of protracted litigation."

Advertisement

Nicole Lavallee, a partner at Berman DeValerio representing the shareholders, said she is pleased with the settlement.

On Thursday, Zynga said its second-quarter loss narrowed to $26.9 million (roughly Rs. 171 crores), or 3 cents per share, from $62.5 million (roughly Rs. 398 crores), or 7 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 30 percent to $199.9 million (roughly Rs. 1,268 crores), though the number of monthly active users fell 32 percent to 83 million.

Advertisement

Zynga shares closed up 19 cents, or 7.8 percent, at $2.64 in Friday trading on the Nasdaq.

The case is In re: Zynga Inc Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 12-04007.

© Thomson Reuters 2015

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Apps, Gaming, Zynga
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Best Phones With Telephoto Cameras Under Rs. 40,000
  2. OnePlus 16 vs iQOO 16: Price and Specifications Compared
  1. Samsung Galaxy F70 5G With 5,000mAh Battery, 50-Megapixel Camera Goes on Sale in India: Price, Offers
  2. Apple ‘Pro and Tell’ Event Set for Next Week; First MacBook With Touchscreen, New iPad Mini and More Expected to Launch
  3. Cysic Shuts Down Bridge After Attacker Illegally Creates 10 Million CYS Tokens
  4. JPM Coin Arrives on Ethereum as JPMorgan Expands Institutional Payments
  5. Vivo V80 FE Reportedly Spotted on BIS Certification Website, India Launch Seems Imminent
  6. Airtel’s New Recharges in India Announced: Rs. 185, Rs. 203 and Rs. 206 Voice-Only Plans Details
  7. Vivo X500 Ultra Leak Reveals Launch Timeline, Chipset, Display and Key Specifications
  8. iQOO Neo 12 Launch Date Announced; Design, Colour Options Teased
  9. Qubic Halts Chain as Attacker Exploits Weak Seeds to Drain 1,400 Wallets
  10. iPhone Duo Battery Capacity Revealed Days Before Foldable Goes on Sale
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.