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Investing.com -- Peloton Interactive will have to face a lawsuit claiming it misled shareholders about excess inventory as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased, following a federal appeals court ruling on Wednesday.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan reversed a lower court decision, allowing shareholders to proceed with claims that the exercise equipment maker made three false and misleading statements that artificially inflated its stock price.
Among the contested statements was former CEO John Foley’s claim during an August 26, 2021 earnings call that a $400 price reduction on bikes represented an "absolutely offensive" sales strategy rather than a defensive move to address weakening demand.
The lawsuit also challenges two warnings in Peloton regulatory filings about hypothetical risks of "excess inventory levels" that shareholders argue had already become reality.
Circuit Judge Steven Menashi, writing for the 2-1 majority, noted that shareholders presented evidence suggesting the price cut was actually a defensive measure to clear three months of accumulated inventory.
"In sum, we conclude that the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged actionable misstatements or omissions," Menashi wrote in the ruling.
The shareholder lawsuit followed a period when Peloton’s stock price plummeted more than 80% between February 5, 2021 and January 19, 2022, coinciding with widespread vaccine availability and the reopening of gyms.
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