Home opinion-and-analysis Core Dump Steve Jobs health revelation triggers lawsuit speculation

Author's Opinion

The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of iTWire.

Have your say and comment below.

Get all your tech news delivered to your mail box five days a week
iTWire UPDATE - it's FREE!


The news that Steve Jobs' medical condition is "more complex" than previously disclosed has led to speculation that we will see class actions brought against Apple or its directors.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently announced that he will take a medical leave of absence until the middle of the year. He had previously downplayed concerns about his health following surgery for pancreatic cancer in mid 2004.

Apple's share price fell abruptly on the news, but by close of trade on Thursday had recovered to $US83.38 - fairly close to where it would have been if the trend of the previous four trading days had continued.

So there is an argument to be made that the only people hurt by the news were those that panicked and dumped their shares.

Justified or not, there is a section of the investment community (and of Apple's customer base, for that matter) that sees Jobs' presence at the helm as being crucial to the company's success.

It may well be that he can take credit for turning the company around, but that doesn't mean he's the only person that can run Apple successfully - just that he's done a better job of it than the executives who were in charge during Jobs' 'wilderness years.'

Anyway, it seems likely that someone will bring legal action claiming that Apple or its directors failure to keep the market fully informed about Jobs' health constituted a material misstatement.

What are the chances of success? Please read on.

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION REPORT 2013

HIRE OR FIRE? BUY OR BUILD

2013 is well underway and Australian companies need to know whether they should invest in IT skills training or pay a premium for the people they need.

If you want to know which choices are being made in your sector, what skills are hard to find, which sectors intend to hire or fire and where the IT spend is going, this free report is must have.

GET YOUR REPORT NOW

Stephen Withers

joomla visitors

Stephen Withers is one of Australia¹s most experienced IT journalists, having begun his career in the days of 8-bit 'microcomputers'. He covers the gamut from gadgets to enterprise systems. In previous lives he has been an academic, a systems programmer, an IT support manager, and an online services manager. Stephen holds an honours degree in Management Sciences, a PhD in Industrial and Business Studies, and is a senior member of the Australian Computer Society.

Connect

http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/adServer.bs?cn=tf&c=19&mc=imp&pli=5460041&PluID=0&ord=[2000]&rtu=-1