New York, Jan 12, 2026, 11:56 EST — Regular session
- Archer shares rose roughly 0.7% by midday, bouncing between $8.67 and $9.23 earlier in the session
- Highful Law announced it has launched a securities-fraud investigation and encouraged investors to get in touch
- Attention shifts to the legal overhang and the upcoming quarterly results due in late February
Shares of Archer Aviation Inc rose roughly 0.7% to $8.87 by 11:56 a.m. EST Monday. The move came after Highful Law PLLC, a shareholder law firm, announced it was launching an investigation into possible securities claims against the electric air-taxi maker. The Austin-based firm cited a Nov. 19, 2025, trade-secret lawsuit from competitor Joby Aviation and noted Archer failed to deliver a promised demo flight at the Dubai Airshow. Archer’s stock fluctuated between $8.67 and $9.23, with around 22.5 million shares traded. 1
The shift highlighted just how fast sentiment can flip around pre-revenue aviation startups. Archer is busy building aircraft, expanding factories, and navigating regulatory hurdles, giving investors milestones to watch instead of actual sales.
A plaintiff-side investigation doesn’t guarantee a lawsuit, but it can stir up activity among short-term traders. It also refocuses attention on the company’s disclosures and their timing, just as eVTOL developers aim to demonstrate consistent progress.
In late 2025, Joby filed a lawsuit against Archer in California state court, claiming Archer misappropriated trade secrets by hiring a former Joby employee. Archer’s chief legal and strategy officer, Eric Lentell, dismissed the complaint as “without merit” and accused Joby of resorting to “bad faith litigation” to compete, Reuters reported. 2
Highful made no mention of filing a complaint against Archer on Monday. Instead, the company described its move as an investigation, stating it was collecting information from investors.
Archer is building the four-passenger “Midnight” eVTOL, an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that lifts off vertically like a helicopter before switching to winged flight. At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company announced a partnership with Nvidia to integrate the chipmaker’s IGX Thor computing platform into upcoming aircraft projects.
“CES has long served as a launchpad for technologies that transform industries, so we’re excited to reveal our AI partnership with NVIDIA here,” said founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. Archer plans to roll out the Nvidia integration at its newly acquired Hawthorne airport in Los Angeles. The company envisions the site as both a hub for its upcoming air-taxi network and a testing ground for these advanced systems. 3
Peers held steady today. Joby shares climbed roughly 1.2%, Vertical Aerospace saw little movement, and Nvidia remained flat.
Key uncertainties lie beyond the stock chart: regulatory approvals, flight testing, and cash flow. Any delays in certification or fresh fundraising needs might weigh on shares—particularly if legal expenses climb simultaneously.
Investors are waiting to see if companies respond to the investigation or if additional lawsuits emerge. Archer’s quarterly earnings report, due around Feb. 26, marks the next key date, per Zacks’ earnings calendar. 4
