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James Hardie Investors Face Dec. 23 Lead-Plaintiff Deadline in Suit Alleging Inventory Misstatements

Plaintiff firms are recruiting investors ahead of an Illinois federal case challenging the company’s statements about North America Fiber Cement demand.

Overview

  • The federal securities class action, Laborers' District Council & Contractors' Pension Fund of Ohio v. James Hardie Industries PLC, No. 25-cv-13018, is pending in the Northern District of Illinois under Sections 10(b), 20(a) and Rule 10b-5.
  • The alleged class period runs from May 20 to August 18, 2025, covering purchases of JHX common stock and ADSs that converted to ordinary shares on July 1, 2025.
  • Plaintiffs say executives denied customer destocking on May 20–21, 2025 and masked weak demand with inventory loading that showed hallmarks of channel stuffing.
  • On August 19, 2025, the company reported a 12% decline in North America Fiber Cement and cited a normalization of channel inventories, after which the stock fell more than 34%.
  • Johnson Fistel and Hagens Berman issued investor and whistleblower outreach notices as the case advances toward lead-plaintiff selection, highlighting the segment’s outsize weight at roughly 80% of earnings.