Allan Gerlat, News Editor

January 10, 2012

1 Min Read
Veolia Facing U.S. Lawsuit over Misleading Financial Statements

Paris-based Veolia Environnement is facing a class action lawsuit in the United States, with charges of making misleading financial statements.

At least two law firms have filed complaints against the company in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. New York-based Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP and Pomerantz Haudek Grossman & Gross LLP both filed on behalf of purchasers of Veolia American Depositary Shares between April 27, 2007, and August 4, 2011, the law firms said in news releases.

The suit alleges improper accounting practices; an inability to ascertain its true financial condition; failure to make a timely recording of a charge for businesses in Morocco, Egypt, the United States and southern Europe; that revenues were hampered by the renewal of some of its major concession contracts; and that, as a result of those actions, Veolia lacked a reasonable basis for positive statements about the company’s prospects.

Veolia Environnment said in a news release in response “that any allegation that its financial communications may have been misleading is without merit, and the company intends to seek the dismissal of the complaint.”

Veolia has put its U.S. solid waste operation up for sale as part of a massive restructuring plan to raise $6.7 billion for reducing debt.

 

 

About the Author(s)

Allan Gerlat

News Editor, Waste360

Allan Gerlat joined the Waste360 staff in September 2011 as news editor. He was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for the first 16 years of its history, and under his guidance the publication won 27 national and regional awards.

Before Waste & Recycling News, Allan worked at another Crain Communications publication, Rubber & Plastics News, which covers rubber product manufacturing. He began with the publication as associate editor and eventually became managing editor, a position he held for nine years.

Allan is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a BS in journalism. He is based in Sagamore Hills, in northeast Ohio.

Stay in the Know - Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Join a network of more than 90,000 waste and recycling industry professionals. Get the latest news and insights straight to your inbox. Free.

You May Also Like