Lizhi Inc. (LIZI) Misled Shareholders Regarding the Impact of the Coronavirus on its Financial Condition and Prospects
Lizhi sold more than 4.1 million American Depository Shares at $11.00 per share generating approximately $45 million in proceeds. However, the documents used to facilitate Lizhi’s IPO were negligently prepared and contained untrue statements of material facts. Specifically, the documents failed to disclose Lizhi’s direct and escalating exposure to the coronavirus pandemic. At the time of the IPO, the coronavirus was already ravaging China, Lizhi’s home base, principal market, and significant hub for its employees and customers. Thus, the effects of the coronavirus were already negatively impacting Lizhi’s business, as employees and customers contracted the virus, lost employment and had difficulty generating, publishing, and monetizing the content critical to Lizhi’s platform. On March 12, 2020, defendants filed a Form 6-K report, admitting the impact of the pandemic on Lizhi. Then, on April 20, 2020, in a Form 20-F annual report with the SEC, defendants admitted that as early as “late 2019” the pandemic was negatively affecting its business. At the time of the filing of the class action, Lizhi shares were trading below $4 per share, a decline of over 63% from the offering price.