A year ago to the day almost I became lead plaintiff against a large energy company that was bought out by a larger private company. If I'm bought out, I want to stay public. Not forced to cash out at gunpoint. So, I hired one of our clients. They had announced an investigation and demanded documents and found conflicts of interests. I sold my rental properties. Luckily before the pandemic hit that blindsided me. And I put some of it into this energy company I LOVED at $18ish. Great dividend. It was better than rent. Mjuch better than rent. Steady income and it appreciates like a property too. But NO WORK. And never a down month when it's vacant. No maintenance. 100% rent in my pocket.
Nobody to decide that my refridgerator belongs to them. Nobody ever again to decide they are a plumber and do work without asking and then flood my neighbors and say "I don't know what happened" or "I didn't do that." No more law-ignorant folks that don't undestand that when they change a fixture, that by law it becomes my property. Anything attached to the wall is a surrender of your property. No more sending a contractor over to someone that won't answer the door because they "didn't hear it" or were "asleep." No more "there is nothing I can't handle" and come to find they can't handle anything . No more phone calls. No more pets snuck in when rules are clearly NO PETS. No more disrespect and self-centered people spoiling the crop for the few good ones.
Then, a bidder came. And offered me $27 per share. I said NO. NEVER SELLING. But others had other ideas for me and vetoed me. Said my vote didn't matter. But I DO MATTER.
Still hasn't made it to court, but you never know what kind of dirt will come up until you look under rocks. Rocks companies don't like to hand over without court order. And even then, they try to be defiant. Be happy with my gains they told me. The pandemic hit a few weeks later, and they reiterated to be happy. Look what would have happened had the deal not happened. Prior I had voted NO to the deal.
Actually, companies rebounded very nicely since then. All companies. And I was forced to choose another green energy company in CWEN.A as a substitute. A lesser of a company than the one that was taken away from me at gunpoint. I love to have muscle behind me when injustice happens. It's a big firm, and several other firms as well. Class action. But since then, I've been dumped as lead plaintiff. Someone else felt they were more deserving of that title and won their hearing on that. As it was explained by my counsel, the judge "essentially flipped a coin" and I lost the coin flip. And that's fine with me! I don't want to be lead plaintiff. My representation did, but I didn't. Too many questions. I like it better how the cards fell. Or, rather, how the coin fell.
And since then, Defendant has tried to dismiss. That's where they are now. The last hearing, the Judge wanted to hear more "oral arguments" or some term. I can't remember. No ,more "proofs" or something. I don't remember. And that date is still pending... But things are moving forward nonetheless. I have piles of "evidence" that I was cc'd on. Some do look nefarious to me. Backdoor meetings. Conflicts of interests. Confidential stuff, can't elaborate.
But point is, never say never. Little guys out there, never lay down!
