It was a case that epitomized the worst of the securities class-action lawsuit abuses of the 1990s.

Federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel became concerned after a 2003 newspaper article reported that a suit she was hearing — In re Terayon Communications Systems Inc. Securities Litigation — was filed the day after Terayon’s stock plunged 26 percent following what looked like a systematic campaign by a plaintiff in the case to drive the share price down.

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