LOS ANGELES, April 24, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Pursuant to the Order of the Honorable Kiyo A. Matsumoto, United States Magistrate Judge, dated April 12, 2006, Notice is hereby given that a Class Action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a class (the "Class") consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired securities of Lipman Electronic Engineering, Ltd. ("Lipman" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:LPMA) on the Nasdaq National Market and/or Tel Aviv Stock Exchange between October 4, 2004 and September 27, 2005, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The shareholder lawsuit, No. 05-4788, is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Any person or institution who purchased securities of Lipman during the Class Period may move the Court not later than May 24, 2006, to serve as lead plaintiff, however, you must meet certain legal requirements. A copy of the Complaint is available from the court or from Glancy Binkow & Goldberg LLP. Please contact us by phone to discuss this action or obtain a copy of the Complaint at (310) 201-9150 or Toll Free at (888) 773-9224, by email at info@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com.
The Complaint charges Lipman and certain of the Company's executive officers with violations of federal securities laws. Among other things, plaintiff claims that defendants' material omissions and dissemination of materially false and misleading statements caused Lipman's stock price to become artificially inflated, inflicting damages on investors. Lipman maintains its principal corporate offices at Rosh Haayin, Israel, and engages in the development, manufacture, marketing and sale of electronic payment systems and solutions worldwide. The Complaint alleges that defendants issued public statements which fraudulently created a false impression concerning the Company's business operations and prospects following the acquisition of Dione, Plc ("Dione"), a United Kingdom-based supplier of "smart card" payment systems. Defendants claimed that the Dione acquisition would add to Lipman's earnings within one year and "provide important new customer relationships that would add critical mass to our U.K. presences."
During the Class Period, defendants touted the Dione acquisition, claiming it would provide "important new customer relationships" and enable the Company to penetrate new markets, among other things. Defendants' public statements, however, misled the public concerning Lipman's ability to leverage purported "operational and technological synergies that exist between the two companies." The Complaint alleges defendants knew or recklessly disregarded and failed to disclose that the Dione acquisition would not provide an immediate boost to Lipman's earnings or easily establish the Company's presence in the United Kingdom and other European countries. Instead, defendants' statements misled Lipman shareholders and artificially inflated the Company's stock price. Additionally during the Class Period, defendants' materially misleading statements and omissions enabled to Company to complete a secondary offering of 1,973,044 shares at $29.75 per share in May 2005.
On September 28, 2005, less than one year after completing the Dione acquisition, Lipman made a stunning admission that the "weaker than expected performance of Dione" caused the Company to slash its 2005 earnings estimates, from a previous forecast of $1.39 to $1.42 per share, down to $0.88 to $0.98 per share. The Company also announced that it had terminated the employment of Dione CEO Shaun Gray and that the Company anticipated it would take a non cash impairment charge relating to goodwill and other intangible assets in 2005.
Investor reaction was sharply negative to this news, causing Lipman's share price to plunge nearly 22 percent following the disclosure of the Company's inability to leverage the Dione acquisition to expand Lipman's European market presence.
Plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of Class members and is represented by Glancy Binkow & Goldberg LLP, a law firm with significant experience in prosecuting class actions, and substantial expertise in actions involving corporate fraud.
If you are a member of the Class described above, you may move the Court, not later than May 24, 2006, to serve as lead plaintiff, however, you must meet certain legal requirements. Shareholders outside the United States may also join this action, regardless of where they live, or which exchange was used to purchase the securities. If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this Notice or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lionel Z. Glancy, Esquire, of Glancy Binkow & Goldberg LLP, 1801 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 311, Los Angeles, California 90067, by telephone at (310) 201-9150 or Toll Free at (888) 773-9224 or by e-mail to info@glancylaw.com.
More information on this and other class actions can be found on the Class Action Newsline at www.primezone.com/ca