http://www.law360.com/ Latest articles for organization: Citigroup Copyright 2009 Portfolio Media, Inc. en-US http://www.law360.com/images/headings/logo.gif http://www.law360.com/ http://www.law360.com/articles/135566 JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the first defendant to reach a settlement in a class action accusing it and other credit card companies of conspiring to force cardholders into arbitration to settle disputes, according to representatives for the plaintiff. http://www.law360.com/articles/135566 http://www.law360.com/articles/135268 Bankrupt commercial lender CIT Group Inc. has reported a strong showing among various constituencies of creditors in favor of its reorganization proposal, putting the company on a path to win approval for the Chapter 11 plan at a confirmation hearing Dec. 8. http://www.law360.com/articles/135268 http://www.law360.com/articles/135288 Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Grant Thornton International have agreed to cough up $15 million to settle with a class of Parmalat SpA stockholders in a suit stemming from the Italian dairy giant's collapse. http://www.law360.com/articles/135288 http://www.law360.com/articles/135173 Ordered to arbitrate its dispute with Citigroup Inc.’s brokerage division over the sale of $41 million of worthless auction rate securities, Braintree Laboratories Inc. is trying to avoid holding the proceeding before a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority panel that the plaintiff says favors the accused. http://www.law360.com/articles/135173 http://www.law360.com/articles/134863 Wells Fargo & Co. has reached agreements to buy back about $1.3 billion in auction rate securities and pay a $1.9 million penalty to the state regulators that investigated allegations the bank misled customers about the riskiness of the investment. http://www.law360.com/articles/134863 http://www.law360.com/articles/134364 Asserting that the plaintiffs have failed to allege monopolistic practices despite ample discovery time, banks and credit unions in First Data Corp.’s Star electronic payment network have asked a judge to snuff out a long-standing proposed class action accusing the companies of fixing ATM service charges. http://www.law360.com/articles/134364 http://www.law360.com/articles/134313 Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has said it plans to split off its 83 percent stake in infant-formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., a move the drugmaker said will allow it to focus on its biopharmaceutical business. http://www.law360.com/articles/134313 http://www.law360.com/articles/123103 The sheer number of appeals — particularly in criminal cases — unfortunately makes it impossible to shorten the time line, says Woody Peterson, a partner in Dickstein Shapiro LLP's antitrust and dispute resolution group with a focus on appellate matters. http://www.law360.com/articles/123103 http://www.law360.com/articles/133023 Employers in the financial services industry have been particularly hard hit recently by claims that many of their most highly paid employees have been misclassified as exempt. Identifying any issues, and addressing them head on, prior to litigation can save thousands, if not millions, of dollars, say Randy Gidseg, Stephen Jones and Joseph Carello of Nixon Peabody LLP. http://www.law360.com/articles/133023 http://www.law360.com/articles/133759 Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Co. and eight other insurers have settled a putative class action with homeowners who decried what they described as unfair pricing policies, in a deal that could also grant the plaintiffs attorneys' fees and expenses of up to $6.6 million. http://www.law360.com/articles/133759 http://www.law360.com/articles/133746 A Delaware state court has tossed Third Avenue Management LLC's allegations that two subsidiaries of bond insurer MBIA Inc. defrauded debt holders in a corporate restructuring that split MBIA's public finance insurance business from its structured finance insurance business, ruling that the case should be decided in New York. http://www.law360.com/articles/133746 http://www.law360.com/articles/133576 Braintree Laboratories Inc. has appealed a federal court’s decision to order arbitration in its lawsuit accusing Citigroup Inc.’s brokerage division of pushing the specialty pharmaceutical company to buy more than $41 million of virtually worthless auction rate securities. http://www.law360.com/articles/133576 http://www.law360.com/articles/133607 Citibank NA is facing a putative class action accusing it of jacking up credit card interest rates in a bid to beat looming federal credit card regulations and in violation of agreements signed with cardholders. http://www.law360.com/articles/133607 http://www.law360.com/articles/132757 A judge has tossed all claims against Constar International Inc., citing its filing for Chapter 11 protection, in a consolidated securities fraud class action alleging the plastic container maker and several financial firms made misleading statements to investors about Constar's 2002 initial public offering. http://www.law360.com/articles/132757 http://www.law360.com/articles/130713 Although various financing mechanisms have been used to provide multimillion-dollar funding for energy transmission infrastructure projects, a new public-private partnership model has emerged in this decade. An analysis of projects using this model demonstrates the advantages and challenges that financing such projects presents, says Ann Warren of Foley & Lardner LLP. http://www.law360.com/articles/130713 http://www.law360.com/articles/132886 Citigroup Inc.'s life insurance subsidiary Primerica Inc. will make an initial public offering of 100 million shares of its stock, as part of the banking giant's continued efforts at selling units outside its primary business. http://www.law360.com/articles/132886 http://www.law360.com/articles/132318 A federal judge has agreed to retain jurisdiction over a derivative suit brought against Citigroup Inc.'s board of directors to avoid possible prejudice should the limitations period expire while a demand on the board is pending. http://www.law360.com/articles/132318 http://www.law360.com/articles/132052 Ocwen Financial Corp. has dropped its claims against Citigroup Global Markets Inc., formerly known as Salomon Smith Barney Inc., in a case where Ocwen and another firm alleged Citigroup left them stranded with about $120 million in illiquid, student loan-backed auction rate securities. http://www.law360.com/articles/132052 http://www.law360.com/articles/131890 A federal judge has dismissed a New York attorney's lawsuit alleging Citigroup Inc. abused its dominant position in the airline special facility bond underwriting market to block the use of a new method she invented for financing airline terminal projects. http://www.law360.com/articles/131890 http://www.law360.com/articles/131905 California's highest court has let Citigroup Inc. off the hook in a dispute with a former employee over whether the company's voluntary incentive compensation plan offering reduced-price restricted shares of company stock in lieu of cash violates California labor law. http://www.law360.com/articles/131905