Compass Minerals International, Inc.

On March 25, 2024, Compass disclosed that it had been informed by the United States Forest Service ("USFS") that it will not be entering into a contract for the use of magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants for the 2024 fire season, explaining that USFS inspections found that “certain airtankers that had flown Fortress North America's proprietary, magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants revealed significant signs of corrosion in areas where build-up of the retardant had occurred" and that "[t]he findings from this more extensive inspection raised aircraft safety concerns.”

On this news, Compass’s stock price fell $3.00, or 17.1%, to close at $14.55 per share on March 25, 2024, thereby injuring investors.

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Compass Minerals overstated the likelihood that it would be awarded a renewed U.S. Forest Service contract for the use of its proprietary magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants for the 2024 fire season, as a result of safety issues presented by its fire retardant; (2) Compass Minerals materially overstated the extent to which testing had confirmed that its fire retardants were safe; and (3) as a result, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.