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Mergers & Acquisitions
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April 12, 2024
HomeStreet Hit With Shareholders Suit Over FirstSun Merger
Banking company HomeStreet Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action alleging that it failed to disclose details about the sale process of its merger with FirstSun Capital Bancorp., saying that the company entered into the agreement with "little to no consideration" to any of its shareholders.
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April 12, 2024
EU Approves Biotech Co. Illumina's Plan To Divest Grail
European Union antitrust authorities on Friday approved Illumina's plan to sell off Grail, the latest development in a saga that saw the biotech company reverse course and agree to offload the cancer-screening company after authorities claimed the reacquisition was completed "unlawfully."
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April 12, 2024
Hornblower Gets OK For Creditor Vote On Ch. 11 Plan
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Friday sent Hornblower Holdings' Chapter 11 plan out for a creditor vote after hearing the cruise and tour operator had resolved creditor objections to its plan disclosure statement.
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April 12, 2024
UK To Probe Norwegian Oil & Gas Data Mega-Merger
The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority said on Friday it has launched an inquiry into the proposed purchase of Norwegian seismic data specialist PGS by a subsidiary of its domestic rival TGS, which supplies data to energy companies.
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April 11, 2024
Autonomy Became Less Transparent Before Sale, Jury Told
An ex-market analyst testifying Thursday in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch duped HP into buying the British company for $11.7 billion told jurors that the company became less forthcoming about some of its accounting a couple of years before the sale.
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April 11, 2024
FTC 'Hopeful' Merger Judges Can See Past Market Definition
The Federal Trade Commission's top antitrust enforcer emphasized Thursday that the FTC and Justice Department's new merger guidelines could facilitate transaction challenges based solely on "direct" competitive effects, regardless of what market definition numbers indicate.
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April 11, 2024
Flopped Casino SPAC Investor Sues In Del. To Block Payout
An investor in a special purpose acquisition company that made a doomed, $2.7 billion effort to buy a casino in the Philippines has asked Delaware's Court of Chancery to prevent the SPAC from redeeming its outstanding shares, arguing it would violate Delaware law because the SPAC is insolvent.
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April 11, 2024
Nogin Can Get Another $3M In Ch. 11 Cash To Get Plan Done
E-commerce company Nogin Inc. received permission Thursday from a Delaware bankruptcy court to draw another $3 million in Chapter 11 financing as it continues working toward implementing its court-approved restructuring plan.
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April 11, 2024
Arax Buys US Capital Wealth In Latest Asset Manager Merger
Wealth management platform Arax Investment Partners, advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, announced on Thursday that its assets under management will grow to $16 billion following its acquisition of independent wealth management firm U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors, in a deal marking the latest in a string of mergers between asset managers.
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April 11, 2024
Investors Get OK For $111M Ponzi Case Receiver Passed On
A Colorado federal judge has given the green light for a group of investors to seek over $111 million from a forex-focused financial technology firm in the U.K. and its affiliate, in a lawsuit alleging they played an instrumental role in a scheme that duped investors and drew the attention of U.S. securities regulators and prosecutors.
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April 11, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: US Steel, Germany's Stada, Paramount
The DOJ opens a probe into Nippon’s proposed $14.9 billion takeover of US Steel, German drugmaker Stada explores a sale, and Paramount and Skydance are hashing out potential deal terms. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
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April 11, 2024
Del. Justices OK Denial Of Icahn-Illumina Midcase Appeal Bid
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn may not put his Chancery Court litigation against biotechnology company Illumina Inc.'s board on hold for a review of a decision that struck portions of the complaint that were based on confidential information, Delaware's Supreme Court said Thursday, upholding the lower court's rejection of the midcase appeal.
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April 11, 2024
State Enforcers: Not Joining Fed Cases No Sign Of Opposition
Several state enforcers said Thursday they choose which antitrust cases being brought by federal enforcers they join based on a number of factors, and it doesn't mean they are opposed to a case if they decide not to join.
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April 11, 2024
Kirkland, Jones Day Build $787.5M Sale Of Steris' Dental Unit
Medical device company Steris, advised by Jones Day, on Thursday announced plans to sell its dental segment to Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised middle market private equity shop Peak Rock Capital for $787.5 million.
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April 11, 2024
Jury Frees Urban Outfitters From Trade Secrets Suit
Urban Outfitters on Thursday beat back a lawsuit from a bankrupt online fashion rental company claiming the retailer stole its proprietary information to set up a competing business, with a Philadelphia federal jury finding that the clothing chain did not misappropriate trade secrets.
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April 11, 2024
Treasury Proposes Steeper Foreign Investment Law Penalties
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a notice Thursday proposing to sharpen its procedures and enforcement practices for reviewing foreign investment deals for national security issues, according to an announcement.
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April 11, 2024
SocGen To Sell Equipment Finance Unit To Rival For €1.1B
French banking giant Societe Generale SA said Thursday that it has agreed to sell its professional equipment financing business to rival BPCE for €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) to streamline the business and bolster its equity capital.
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April 10, 2024
No Merit To Autonomy Whistleblower Claims, Auditor Says
A Deloitte partner testifying in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and finance director Stephen Chamberlain duped HP into buying the British tech company for $11.7 billion said Wednesday that auditors concluded that whistleblower allegations by a finance department executive were meritless.
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April 10, 2024
Colo. AG Says Kroger Divestiture Plan Is Best Left For Trial
Colorado's attorney general wants a state judge to block Kroger and Albertsons from presenting evidence about a new divestiture plan at an upcoming hearing on the state's motion to temporarily block the grocers' merger, claiming the yet-to-be revealed plan is a strategy to "win by ambush."
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April 10, 2024
Ex-Art Institutes Execs Want Insurers To Avert $336M Suit
Former executives of a holding company that bought now-defunct for-profit colleges Argosy University, South University and The Art Institutes asked an Ohio federal court to force excess insurers to settle receivership claims before the pair are formally accused of leaving a $336 million debt in their wake.
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April 10, 2024
Dubious Merger Bid? 'Find A Different Deal,' DOJ Official Says
A U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official on Wednesday stood by the hardline Biden-era stance against most merger clearance settlements, saying that companies coming forward with potentially problematic transactions should rethink doing the deals at all or at least come with strong upfront divestiture proposals.
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April 10, 2024
PGA Tour-LIV Merger Questions Swirl As Masters Tees Off
With a trial attorney from the entertainment section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division sitting quietly by, sports law experts speculated Wednesday at the American Bar Association's spring antitrust meeting whether — and how — the agency might challenge the $3 billion merger between the PGA Tour and LIV.
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April 10, 2024
Skadden, Fenwick Lead $4.9B Alpine Immune Sciences Sale
Biotechnology company Alpine Immune Sciences Inc., advised by Fenwick & West LLP, on Wednesday revealed that it has agreed to be bought by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, in a $4.9 billion cash deal.
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April 10, 2024
Beer Biz Investors Beg NC Justices To Clear Legal Haze
Former shareholders looking to revive their fraud suit against the CEO of a beverage company and his wife asked the North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday to tie up an unsettled area of fiduciary law, saying a lower court's disparate jurisprudence "cries out" for clarity.
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April 10, 2024
Merger Notification Overhaul 'Pretty Close,' DOJ Official Says
A senior U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official predicted Wednesday that the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission are likely just weeks away from issuing the final version of a major overhaul to the filing requirements of companies notifying mergers to the agencies.
Expert Analysis
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Biden Admin's M&A Rhetoric Outpaces Enforcement Numbers
Despite the Biden administration's rhetoric about the need to reinvigorate antitrust efforts, merger enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division are at 20-year lows, with the agencies opting for deterrence instead, says Ryan Quillian at Covington.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Del. Dispatch: Lessons From Failed ETE-Williams Merger
Attorneys at Fried Frank delve into the Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in Energy Transfer v. Williams to highlight the major monetary consequences of a failed merger, and show why merger agreement drafting and factual context are of utmost importance.
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5 Ways To Leverage Recent DOJ 'Safe Harbor' M&A Policy
Companies can take a series of practical steps both before and after closing to gain maximum advantage from the recently announced U.S. Department of Justice merger and acquisition safe harbor policy and minimize enforcement risk, say Jonny Frank and Jeremy Hirsch at StoneTurn.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Avoiding Bribery, Corruption And Sanctions Risks In Int'l M&A
Given the evolving merger and acquisition landscape — as evidenced by the Justice Department’s recently announced safe harbor policy — acquirers conducting international transactions must build bribery, anti-corruption and sanctions risk considerations squarely into their due diligence processes, say Brian Markley and Jennifer Potts at Cahill Gordon.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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New DOJ Roles Underscore National Security Focus
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent creation of two new leadership positions signals to the private sector that federal law enforcement is pouring resources into corporate investigations to identify potential national security violations, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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How To Navigate The FTC's New Private Equity Frontier
The Federal Trade Commission's recent district court complaint against an anesthesia firm and its private equity partner tests key bounds of the agency's stand-alone authority, and defense strategies can include challenges to both the geographic and the service market fronts, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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Practicing Under DOJ 'Safe Harbor' Policy For M&As
The U.S. Justice Department's recently announced safe harbor policy for mergers and acquisitions offers greater specificity and predictability for acquiring companies that need time to self-report violations, but it's important to remember that the new window is not endless, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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SEC's Life Sciences Actions Utilize Novel Tools And Theories
Recent enforcement actions show that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is employing new forms of data analytics and noteworthy applications of insider trading laws in its scrutiny of fraud within the life sciences and health industries, say Edward Imperatore and Jina Choi at MoFo.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.