Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Reminds Investors That Class Action Lawsuits Have Been Filed Aurora Cannabis, Credit Acceptance Corporation, Precigen, and Royal Caribbean and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (NYSE: ACB), Credit Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: CACC), Precigen, Inc. fka Intrexon Corporation (NASDAQ: PGEN; XON), and Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.

Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (NYSE: ACB)

Class Period: February 13, 2020 to September 4, 2020

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 1, 2020

Aurora is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada. The Company produces and distributes medical cannabis products worldwide. It is vertically integrated and horizontally diversified across various segments of the cannabis value chain, including facility engineering and design, cannabis breeding, genetics research, production, derivatives, high value-add product development, home cultivation, wholesale, and retail distribution.

In 2018, the Canadian government approved the Cannabis Act, which legalized and regulated the use of recreational cannabis. In response to the statute's approval, and the corresponding surge of the recreational cannabis industry, Aurora completed a series of acquisitions to expand the Company's presence and increase its distribution, including the Company's all-share purchase of the Canadian medical cannabis producer MedReleaf for total consideration of 3.2 billion Canadian dollars. Like many other companies in the cannabis industry, however, the Company encountered a variety of difficulties as the industry surged, including, inter alia, overproduction, regulatory delays, and competition from the black market.

On February 6, 2020,shortly before the start of the Class Period, Aurora issued a press release announcing, inter alia, a "business transformation plan," to "better align the business financially with the current realities of the cannabis market in Canada while maintaining a sustainable platform for long-term growth." Specifically, the press release touted that the plan was "expected to include significant and immediate decreases in selling, general & administrative ("SG&A") expenses and capital investment plans."

On September 8, 2020, Aurora issued a press release "announc[ing] an update on its business operations along with certain unaudited preliminary fiscal fourth quarter 2020 results." Among other things, Aurora announced that the Company expected to record up to $1.8 billion in goodwill impairment charges in the fourth quarter of 2020. The Company also announced that "previously announced fixed asset impairment charges[ were] now expected to be up to $90 million, due to production facility rationalization, and a charge of approximately $140 million in the carrying value of certain inventory, predominantly trim, in order to align inventory on hand with near term expectations for demand."

On this news, Aurora's stock price fell $0.99 per share, or 11.63%, to close at $7.52 per share on September 8, 2020.

The complaint, filed on October 2, 2020, alleges that throughout the Class Period defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Aurora had significantly overpaid for previous acquisitions and experienced degradation in certain assets, including its production facilities and inventory; (ii) the Company's purported "business transformation plan" and cost reset failed to mitigate the foregoing issues; (iii) accordingly, it was foreseeable that the Company would record significant goodwill and asset impairment charges; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

For more information on the Aurora Cannabis class action go to: https://bespc.com/ACB

Credit Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: CACC)

Class Period: November 1, 2019 to August 28, 2020

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 1, 2020

Credit Acceptance provides financing programs, and related products and services to independent and franchised automobile dealers in the United States. These programs are offered through a nationwide network of automobile dealers who benefit from sales of vehicles to consumers who otherwise could not obtain financing, as 95% of Credit Acceptance's loans are considered subprime. The Company's tag line is "We change lives!" and the Company asserts its financing programs give consumers "a second chance" in improving their credit scores.

The ugly truth about the Company's predatory and illegal business practices was revealed on August 28, 2020 when the Massachusetts Attorney General filed the Mass AG Complaint against Credit Acceptance alleging that Credit Acceptance has, for years, been making unfair and deceptive automobile loans to thousands of Massachusetts consumers. In addition, the lawsuit specifically alleges that Credit Acceptance provided its investors with false and/or misleading information regarding the asset-backed securitizations they offered to investors, and that the Company engaged in unfair debt collection practices as well.

In response to the public disclosure of the Mass AG Complaint, Credit Acceptance's stock price fell $85.36 per share, or over 18%, to close at $374.07 per share over two trading days ending on September 1, 2020.

The complaint, filed on October 2, 2020, alleges that defendants failed to disclose to investors: (i) that the Company was topping off the pools of loans that they packaged and securitized with higher-risk loans; (ii) that Credit Acceptance was making high interest subprime auto loans to borrowers that the Company knew borrowers would be unable to repay; (iii) that the borrowers were subject to hidden finance charges, resulting in loans exceeding the usury rate ceiling mandated by state law; (iv) that Credit Acceptance took excessive and illegal measures to collect debt from defaulted borrowers; (v) that, as a result, the Company was likely to face regulatory scrutiny and possible penalties from various regulators or lawsuits; and (vi) that, as a result of the foregoing, defendants positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and adherence to appropriate laws and regulations were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

For more information on the Credit Acceptance class action go to: https://bespc.com/CACC

Precigen, Inc. f/k/a Intrexon Corporation (NASDAQ: PGEN; XON)

Class Period: May 10, 2017 to September 25, 2020

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 4, 2020

On September 25, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued a cease and desist order against Precigen. The cease and desist order involved "inaccurate reports concerning the company's purported success converting relatively inexpensive natural gas into more expensive industrial chemicals using a proprietary methane bioconversion (‘MBC') program." The order noted that the Company was "primarily using significantly more expensive pure methane for the relevant laboratory experiments but was indicating that the results had been achieved using natural gas." The cease-and-desist order further stated that although the Company "pitched the MBC program privately to numerous potential business partners over the course of 2017 and 2018" and "[a] number of these potential partners performed due diligence on the MBC program including reviewing lab results and plans for commercialization. [The Company] has not yet found a partner for the MBC program."

The complaint, filed on October 5, 2020, alleges that throughout the Class Period defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose to investors that: (1) the Company was using pure methane as feedstock for its announced yields for its methanotroph bioconversion platform instead of natural gas; (2) yields from natural gas as a feedstock were substantially lower than the aforementioned pure methane yields; (3) due to the substantial price difference between pure methane and natural gas, pure methane was not a commercially viable feedstock; (4) the Company's financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 were false and could not be relied upon; (5) the Company had material weaknesses in its internal controls over financial reporting; (6) the Company was under investigation by the SEC since October 2018; and (7) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

For more information on the Precigen class action go to: https://bespc.com/PGEN

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL)

Class Period: February 4, 2020 to March 17, 2020

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 7, 2020

The complaint, filed on October 7, 2020, alleges that throughout the Class Period defendants failed to disclose material facts about the Company's decrease in bookings outside China, instead maintaining that it was only experiencing a slowdown in bookings from China. The Action further alleges that defendants failed to disclose material facts about the Company's inadequate policies and procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on its ships. The truth about the scope of the impact that COVID-19 had on the Company's overall bookings and the inability of Royal Caribbean to prevent the virus' spread on its ships was revealed through a series of disclosures.

First, on February 13, 2020, Royal Caribbean issued a press release stating that it had canceled 18 voyages in Southeast Asia due to recent travel restrictions and further warning that recent bookings had been softer for its broader business.

On this news, Royal Caribbean shares fell over 3 percent.

Second, on February 25, 2020, Royal Caribbean filed its 2019 Form 10-K, indicating that COVID-19 concerns were negatively impacting its overall business.

On this news, Royal Caribbean shares fell over 14 percent.

Third, on March 10, 2020, Royal Caribbean withdrew its 2020 financial guidance, increased its revolving credit facility by $550 million, and announced that it would take cost-cutting actions due to the proliferation of COVID-19, further revealing that COVID-19 was severely impacting Royal Caribbean's 2020 customer booking and that its safety measures were inadequate to prevent the spread of the virus on its ships.

On this news, Royal Caribbean shares fell over 14 percent.

Fourth, on March 11, 2020, Royal Caribbean's largest competitor, Carnival, announced a 60-day suspension of all operations, prompting concern that Royal Caribbean would follow suit. At the same time, Royal Caribbean also cancelled two cruises, beginning a series of cancellations and suspensions to follow.

On this news, Royal Caribbean shares fell almost 32 percent.

Fifth, on March 14, 2020, Royal Caribbean announced a suspension of all global cruises for 30 days.

On this news, Royal Caribbean stock fell over 7 percent.

Sixth, on March 16, 2020, the Company revealed that global operations could be suspended longer than anticipated, announcing the cancellations of two additional cruises throughout April and into May.

On this news, Royal Caribbean shares fell over 7 percent.

Finally, on March 18, 2020, analysts downgraded Royal Caribbean's stock and slashed their price targets.

On this news, Royal Caribbean shares fell more than 19 percent.

For more information on the Royal Caribbean class action go to: https://bespc.com/RCL

About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact Information:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Melissa Fortunato, Esq.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com

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A 2023 Gallup poll reveals a two decade decline in alcohol consumption, particularly among younger adults, suggesting a shift towards more health-conscious lifestyles within this demographic.

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The legalization of industrial hemp — defined as cannabis with a THC concentration of 0.3 percent or less — through the 2018 Farm Bill led to initial investment and optimistic projections for CBD wellness products and various industrial applications. The sector’s rapid evolution also brought the rise of hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids, creating a market that presented both opportunities and complexities for participants.

However, after an initial boom, a lack of infrastructure and clearly defined regulations for CBD, as well as state-level variations and market oversupply, ultimately contributed to a quick retraction.

2024 was a pivotal year for the US hemp industry, as the hemp-related provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill — originally set to expire in September 2023, but extended to December 31, 2024 — created an urgent need to address critical issues like THC limits and the regulation of novel hemp-derived cannabinoids. A major point of contention was the proposed shift from defining hemp based on Delta-9 THC concentration (0.3 percent or less) to “total THC,” which includes THCA.

This change had the potential to significantly impact farmers and processors, as many hemp varieties that are compliant under the Delta-9 THC rule could exceed the 0.3 percent limit when THCA is included.

Various bills and amendments were proposed in 2024 as part of the Farm Bill discussions, each with different approaches to regulating hemp. Separate regulatory frameworks for industrial hemp and hemp grown for cannabinoids were suggested, and many states took their own action, leading to a patchwork of regulations and even outright bans.

Despite challenges, data from the US Department of Agriculture suggests signs of recovery.

The department's annual National Hemp Report from 2024 points to an 18 percent increase in industrial hemp production value between 2022 and 2023, with output growth seen in specific sectors like floral (18 percent), fiber (133 percent) and seed hemp (414 percent). The 2025 report from the Department of Agriculture indicates further expansion, with notable increases observed in both acreage (up 64 percent from 2023) and value (46 percent).

The 2024 Farm Bill ultimately did not pass, and right now the hemp industry is operating under a temporary extension of the 2018 Farm Bill under the American Relief Act of 2025, signed into law on December 21, 2024.

The 2018 Farm Bill is now set to expire on September 30, 2025.

While analysts for Markets and Markets project that the North American hemp industry will grow at a CAGR of 22.4 percent and ultimately reach a valuation of US$30.24 billion by 2029, the future of the industry will be heavily influenced by the outcome of the ongoing Farm Bill discussions.

US cannabis legalization remains stalled

Although there is clear demand for cannabis products, the now-defunct rescheduling process in the US is likely to continue casting a shadow of uncertainty over the industry's long-term trajectory.

Legal and procedural delays, including allegations of improper conduct and bias within the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), led to hearing cancellations, and the new administration of US President Donald Trump has brought leadership changes to key agencies like the DEA and the Department of Justice.

Terry Cole, who Trump nominated to be DEA administrator on February 11, has a history of opposing cannabis legalization in the country. Similarly, Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to lead the justice department, staunchly opposed a movement to legalize medical cannabis during her tenure as Florida’s attorney general.

While there have been bipartisan efforts in Congress to end federal cannabis prohibition and establish regulations for eventual legalization, the DEA’s actions and statements indicate a potential stall or reversal of progress.

In addition to that, new research is adding complexity to the debate.

A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry this past March highlights an association between the use of high-potency cannabis strains and increased risks of psychosis, a factor that may not have been fully considered by the Department of Health and Human Services. As stronger cannabis strains become more widely available, a reassessment of their potential health risks may be required.

Investor takeaway

While the cannabis industry holds promise for growth and innovation, investors must remain acutely aware of the regulatory uncertainties and market volatility that will undoubtedly shape its trajectory in the years to come.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Cannabis for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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