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Mergers & Acquisitions
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April 08, 2024
Ex-Autonomy Exec Says Boss's Invoice Ask Caused Concern
A former Autonomy finance employee took the stand Monday in the criminal fraud trial of ex-CEO Michael Lynch and finance director Stephen Chamberlain, telling a California federal jury that he was "not comfortable" with one of Chamberlain's invoice requests and was sacked after raising concerns about accounting irregularities.
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April 08, 2024
Gamers Can't Block Microsoft From 'Dismantling' Activison
A California federal judge on Monday refused to block Microsoft from further integrating Activision Blizzard into its business after it acquired the gaming titan last year, saying the gamers who are still challenging the union between the companies have a similar motion pending before the Ninth Circuit.
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April 08, 2024
3 Firms To Lead Weber Investor Suit Over $3.7B PE Buyout
Prickett Jones & Elliot, Grant & Eisenhofer PA, and Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check will together represent a proposed class of investors in grill maker Weber Inc. in consolidated litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery over a $3.7 billion squeeze-out by private equity firm BDT Capital Partners LLC, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick decided on Monday in what she described as a "close call."
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April 08, 2024
SEC 'Shadow Trading' Victory Could Bring DOJ Knocking
Now that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has convinced a jury that a pharmaceutical executive committed insider trading by purchasing a competitor's stock in a practice often referred to as "shadow trading," attorneys say federal prosecutors might be tempted to dip their toe into the waters of the previously untested legal theory.
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April 08, 2024
FTC's Slaughter Defends International Cooperation
Several federal agency leaders said Monday they are working across the government to help boost competition, as Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter touted the importance of cooperation on competition issues at home and abroad.
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April 08, 2024
Southwest Gas Unit Centuri Eyes Spinoff Through $242M IPO
Southwest Gas Holdings Inc.'s infrastructure services unit Centuri Holdings Inc. on Monday unveiled terms for an estimated $242 million initial public offering that would lead to Centuri becoming a standalone public company, represented by Morrison Foerster LLP and underwriters' counsel Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.
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April 08, 2024
Chancery Approves $36M Sirius XM Settlement, $9.6M Atty Fee
Sirius XM Holding Inc. stockholders who sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery over an alleged ongoing squeeze-out by Liberty Media Corp. won court approval Monday of a $36 million settlement to end their litigation, along with a $9.6 million payout for their attorneys and $50,000 for the lead plaintiff.
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April 08, 2024
McConnell Expresses Support For TikTok Divestiture Bill
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday stressed the need for the House-passed bill to clamp down on TikTok, citing vast national security concerns.
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April 08, 2024
Judge Urged To Reject UnitedHealth's Antitrust Deal Qualms
Patients who cut a $55 million antitrust settlement with NorthShore University HealthSystem are urging an Illinois federal court to reject objections by United Healthcare Services, arguing that the insurer has no standing to derail the deal and that its challenge to the agreement could dilute their recovery.
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April 08, 2024
Czech Firm Says Its Vista Deal Offers Benefits Over Rival Bid
Czechoslovak Group A.S. on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to its planned $1.9 billion acquisition of Vista Outdoor's sporting products business, which is also being pursued by rival bidder MNC Capital, noting that it has fully committed financing and has already received antitrust clearance from the Federal Trade Commission.
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April 08, 2024
PE Firm Calls FTC's Antitrust Claims 'Many Yesterdays' Old
A Texas anesthesiology company and the private equity firm that created it told a Houston federal judge Monday that the Federal Trade Commission has gone back "many yesterdays ago" in making its antitrust case, arguing that there's no imminent threat of a monopoly in an attempt to get the case dismissed.
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April 08, 2024
McMahon Sells Millions More In TKO Stock Amid Abuse Suit
WWE's disgraced founder Vince McMahon, who was recently accused of trafficking a former employee, continues to loosen his grip on the wrestling company he founded, most recently selling $311 million worth of stock in WWE's parent, according to a Monday securities filing.
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April 08, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, a much-watched Chancery Court Match.com decision got reversed, a Philip Morris motion got stubbed out, and a long-frozen Blue Bell Creameries suit started churning again. Delaware's Court of Chancery also saw new suits filed for legal fees, arguments over multibillion-dollar pay packages, and a judge flummoxed over Truth Social.
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April 08, 2024
Tradeweb Pays $785M For Investment Tech Firm ICD
Tradeweb Markets Inc., advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, on Monday announced that it has agreed to buy institutional investment technology provider Institutional Cash Distributors LLC, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, for $785 million.
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April 08, 2024
Plot Holes Doom JPMorgan 'Fraud' Narrative, Frank Exec Says
The founder of a startup meant to help college students apply for financial aid said an indictment claiming she duped JPMorgan Chase & Co. into a buyout should be dismissed because it fails to identify her alleged co-conspirators or fraudulent statements.
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April 08, 2024
Schumer Seeks More Data, Details About Capital One Deal
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that he has requested more information about Capital One and Discover Financial Services' planned $35.3 billion merger, including data on the interest rates they charge and details about any potential layoffs that could stem from the deal.
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April 08, 2024
3 Firms Build $2.3B Hospitality Biz SPAC Merger
Singapore-headquartered Hotel101 Global Pte Ltd., a hotel prop-tech operator pioneering a standardized "condotel" business model, announced Monday that it plans to go public through a merger with blank-check company JVSPAC Acquisition Corp. in a deal built by three firms that will give it an equity value of $2.3 billion post-closing.
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April 08, 2024
Kirkland-Led Vista Buying Medtech Co. 'Model N' For $1.25B
Kirkland & Ellis LLP-led Vista Equity Partners has agreed to buy Fenwick & West LLP-advised Model N, a provider of revenue optimization and compliance tools for healthcare tech companies, in a take-private transaction valued at approximately $1.25 billion, the companies said Monday.
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April 08, 2024
Simpson Reps Blackstone On $10B AIR Communities Buy
Blackstone has agreed to purchase Apartment Income REIT Corp. in a take-private transaction valued at approximately $10 billion, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP serving as legal counsel, respectively, the firms said Monday.
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April 05, 2024
Meta Looks To Nix FTC's Antitrust Case Over Acquisitions
Meta Platforms urged a D.C. federal court on Friday to toss the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against it, saying the agency has found no evidence showing its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp hurt competition or consumers.
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April 05, 2024
Jury Finds Pharma Exec 'Shadow Traded' With Inside Info
A California federal jury found Friday that a former Medivation executive is liable for using inside information from his company when he purchased stock in rival pharmaceutical maker Incyte, in a novel civil "shadow trading" case brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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April 05, 2024
L3Harris To Sell Antenna Business To Kanders For $200M
Florida-based single-family investment officer Kanders & Co. Inc., advised by Ropes & Gray LLP, announced on Friday that it will buy and combine the antenna and related businesses from aerospace and defense company L3Harris Technologies for $200 million.
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April 05, 2024
Allianz Selling Mid-Size, Entertainment Holdings In $1.4B Deal
Allianz Group said Friday that its corporate and specialty insurance unit is selling off its U.S. insurance business for midsize corporations and entertainment businesses for $450 million in cash to Arch Insurance North America.
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April 05, 2024
Nixon Peabody Adds 2 Attys From Hinckley Allen In Boston
A pair of attorneys have jumped to Nixon Peabody LLP in Boston after spending more than a decade working at Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP.
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April 05, 2024
Off The Bench: ACC Drama, Football Firing Suits Intensify
In this week's Off The Bench, Florida State University cannot escape an ACC lawsuit that may enforce a nine-figure penalty against the school if it should leave the conference, while both Northwestern University and the Arizona Cardinals face more legal headaches over their decisions to fire key personnel.
Expert Analysis
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Deal-Making Strategies To Explore Amid 2023's Uncertainties
Attorneys at White & Case delve into the evolving risks deal makers face in the remainder of 2023, detailing several approaches — such as activist simulations, stock-for-stock deals and divestitures — that may deliver value in an uncertain market.
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Opinion
Calif. Policymakers Should Aid Crashing Cannabis Market
As California’s cannabis sector nears the brink of financial collapse, it may be time for the state government to seriously consider potential bailout programs for the embattled industry — though the crisis also presents strategic buying opportunities for those with a high tolerance for uncertainty, says Michelle Mabugat at Greenberg Glusker.
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How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory
Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.
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Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid
As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.
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Colorado Antitrust Reform Carries Broad State Impact
Colorado recently became the latest state to update and expand its antitrust laws, and the new act may significantly affect enforcement and private litigation, particularly when it comes to workers and consumers, says Diane Hazel at Foley & Lardner.
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Mootness Fees Are Losing Traction In Del. And Federal Courts
The Delaware Chancery's recent decision in Anderson v. Magellan Health deals a significant blow to plaintiffs attorneys seeking mootness fees for merger litigation brought in that state, and federal courts are trending in the same direction, say Paul Marino and Michael Fialkoff at Day Pitney.
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Opinion
Merger Guidelines Should Provide For Competition Trustees
Following the U.S. antitrust agencies' release of draft merger guidelines, retired U.S. Court of Federal Claims Chief Judge Susan Braden suggests a court-appointed competition trustee would help ensure U.S. competition without impairing economic prosperity.
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Senate Hearing Highlights Antitrust Hazards In PGA-LIV Deal
The U.S. Senate's recent questioning of PGA Tour COO Ron Price on the proposed deal with LIV Golf and its release of a dossier of framework agreements covered a variety of issues that could exacerbate antitrust concerns, including the predatory purchasing theory of competitive harm, free-riding and alternate funding, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Investors With ESG Aims Should Heed Antitrust Reporting Rules
As investors globally are embracing environmental, social and governance investing, regulatory agencies have made clear that ESG initiatives are not immune from antitrust scrutiny, and investors cannot count on receiving special exemptions from the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act reporting requirements, say Jonathan Gleklen and Francesca Pisano at Arnold & Porter.
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US Antitrust Approach Toward ESG Clashes With EU Stance
A comparison between how EU and U.S. antitrust enforcers have approached companies' cooperative environmental, social and corporate governance efforts highlights America's comparatively harsh stance, contributing to a difficult compliance climate for international businesses, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.
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When Investment Banks Can Sell Real Estate In Calif.
When investment banks sell businesses that own property in California, they may run into trouble if they are not licensed real estate brokers, unless the property is merely incidental to the deal at hand, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Merger Guidelines' Broad Tack Ignores Recent Precedent
The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission's new proposed merger guidelines are consistent with the Biden administration's expansive approach to antitrust enforcement, but they fail to grapple meaningfully with much of modern economic precedent and court decisions requiring greater agency rigor in merger analysis, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Ch. 11 Ruling Informs On Social Media Ownership Rights
Social media users now have useful guidance regarding account ownership rights following a federal bankruptcy court's recent ruling in the Vital Pharmaceuticals Chapter 11 case, which rejected the notion that advertised content alone could create a presumption of ownership for the advertised business, say Deborah Enea and Thomas Dockery at Troutman Pepper.
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Parsing FTC's Intercontinental-Black Knight Merger Challenge
The Federal Trade Commission's recent Article III case challenging a merger between Intercontinental Exchange and Black Knight suggests the agency is using a structuralist approach to evaluate the merger's potential anti-competitive harm, says David Evans at Kelley Drye.