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Mergers & Acquisitions
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May 13, 2024
Kroger Says Wash. AG's Merger Suit Ignores Costco's Impact
The Washington state attorney general's challenge to Kroger's proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of rival grocery giant Albertsons ignores key economic realities, the companies argued in recent state court filings, including fierce competition from Costco and other big-box retailers.
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May 13, 2024
IBM Won't Get Jury Trial In $1.5B Chip Contract Fight
IBM can't present its claims that a microchip maker swindled it into entering into semiconductor contracts and never followed through to a jury, after a New York state court ruled that those contractual agreements contain enforceable waivers of jury trial rights.
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May 13, 2024
Schumer Urges FTC To Block Hess-Chevron Deal, Jabs Trump
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was "sounding the alarm" against Chevron Corp.'s planned $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corp. in a post on social media platform X, urging the Federal Trade Commission to halt the deal while criticizing former President Donald Trump for a reported meeting with oil executives.
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May 13, 2024
Ex-Police Chief Gets 3 Months For Alexion Insider Trading
The former police chief of a town in Massachusetts was sentenced Monday to three months in prison after pleading guilty to trading on confidential information about a pending Alexion Pharmaceuticals merger that he said was provided by a "lifelong friend."
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May 13, 2024
BofA Says Suit By Commanders Ex-Partner Has Wrong Target
A former Washington Commanders minority owner's claim that Bank of America and others scammed him out of a bigger share of the eventual sale price of the NFL franchise is "implausible" and "incoherent,'' Bank of America told a Florida federal court in its motion to dismiss the minority owner's suit.
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May 13, 2024
White House Bars Real Estate Deal Near Air Force Base
President Joe Biden is ordering a recent purchaser of real estate near an Air Force base in Wyoming to sell portions of the property, based on a public tip and a finding from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that cryptocurrency mining there presents a national security risk.
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May 13, 2024
Chancery Scuttles Unfair Pirate Ship Salvage Co. Merger
Finding the deal "wholly devoid" of attempts at fairness, a Delaware vice chancellor has ordered the unwinding of a 2018 pirate treasure hunting and salvage company merger with an asset-holding affiliate, while also finding that delay and fading evidence have scuttled minority investor fiduciary breach claims.
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May 13, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Sunken treasure, recycled plastics, questionable denim and dog food all made appearances in Chancery Court dockets last week, along with developments in cases involving Qualcomm, Tesla Inc., and Truth Social. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.
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May 13, 2024
Paul Weiss Adds Former Kirkland M&A Atty As Partner
Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP said Monday that the firm has hired a former Kirkland & Ellis LLP mergers and acquisitions partner as a partner in its own M&A practice in New York.
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May 13, 2024
Car Paint Biz Buys Industry Peer In Up To $295M Deal
Philadelphia-based coatings company Axalta Coating Systems on Monday unveiled plans to buy The CoverFlexx Group, which makes and sells coatings for automotive refinishing, from BakerHostetler-led Transtar Holding Co. for up to $295 million.
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May 13, 2024
Anglo American Rebuffs Improved £34B BHP Takeover Offer
British miner Anglo American PLC said Monday that it has rejected a revised £34 billion ($42.7 billion) takeover bid by Australian heavyweight rival BHP Group Ltd., saying that the increased offer "significantly undervalues" the company.
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May 13, 2024
Simpson Thacher-Led EQT Bids $1.5B For Wind Energy Biz
European private equity giant EQT said Monday that it has offered to acquire wind energy developer OX2 for approximately 16.35 million Swedish krona ($1.5 billion) in a deal guided by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Gernandt & Danielsson and Vinge KB.
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May 13, 2024
Skadden Guides Squarespace On $6.9B Go-Private Deal
Squarespace Inc. said Monday it has agreed to a $6.9 billion buyout by private equity firm Permira, with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP serving as lead counsel to the website building company and at least six additional firms guiding the various parties.
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May 13, 2024
Justices Won't Review Ch. 11 Stay In Asbestos Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court won't review lower courts' decisions allowing the paper-products company Georgia-Pacific to remain shielded from mass tort litigation by way of a subsidiary's Chapter 11 case.
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May 13, 2024
Biz Adviser FRP Buys UK Risk Manager For £8.4M
FRP Advisory said on Monday that it has bought commercial finance and risk manager Hilton-Baird for approximately £8.4 million ($10.5 million) in a cash and shares transaction, as the U.K. business consultancy eyes greater European expansion.
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May 13, 2024
French Retailer Casino Sells 10.15% Stake In Renewables Biz
French retail chain Casino said on Monday that it has sold its 10.15% remaining stake in renewables company GreenYellow SAS for €46 million ($50 million) to Ardian, a private equity company, and state-backed investment bank Bpifrance.
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May 13, 2024
BetCity Says €850M Buyout Was Good Value Despite Inquiries
The former owners of online sports betting operator BetCity admit that they breached some of the terms from Entain's €850 million ($920 million) buyout, but have argued that the gambling giant knew of the investigations and failed to seek a better deal.
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May 10, 2024
EV Startup Says California Settlement Covers Stockholder Suit
Backers of a transaction that took electric vehicle startup Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. public with a $1 billion value in 2021 have asked Delaware's Court of Chancery to block discovery in a stockholder challenge to the deal, citing pending settlement of a similar federal action in California.
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May 10, 2024
Everton Accepts Two-Point Penalty Over Financial Breaches
Everton Football Club said Friday it will not fight the decision by the Premier League Independent Commission to impose a two-point deduction for its violation of the league's rules regarding financial viability, as the team faces a potential sale.
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May 10, 2024
Guess? Sued To Stop Founders' Alleged Pending Equity Grab
A pension fund stockholder of Guess? Inc. has sued the company, its founders, and its board in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging "a covert attempt to strip the company's public stockholders of their contractual right to equal treatment" in connection with a merger or sale of Guess.
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May 10, 2024
Altman's Nuclear Fission Biz Fizzles After SPAC Deal Closes
Shares of Oklo Inc., a nuclear-fission startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, were down nearly 50% on Friday, the company's first day of trading after completing its merger with Altman's special-purpose acquisition company AltC Acquisition Corp.
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May 10, 2024
UK Opens Probe Into Thermo Fisher's $3.1B Olink Buy
Britain's competition watchdog said it is opening an inquiry into Thermo Fisher's $3.1 billion bid to buy Swedish biotech firm Olink Holding AB over competition concerns, according to an official notice issued Friday.
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May 10, 2024
Ex-Pillsbury Communications Leader Joins Dickinson Wright
Dickinson Wright PLLC announced that a longtime Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP attorney who previously served as chair of the firm's communications practice has joined its Washington, D.C., office as a member.
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May 10, 2024
Digital Platform Xtribe To Go Public Via $141M SPAC Merger
Technology-driven marketplace company Xtribe PLC, advised by Cozen O'Connor PC, has announced plans to go public via a merger with Haynes and Boone LLP-led special-purpose acquisition company WinVest Acquisition Corp. in a deal that values Xtribe at an implied equity value of $141 million.
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May 10, 2024
2 Firms Guide United Bankshares On $267M Piedmont Buy
Bowles Rice LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP are representing United Bankshares Inc. on a $267 million agreement to buy Georgia-based Piedmont Bancorp Inc., which the lenders disclosed Friday and said marks United's 34th acquisition.
Expert Analysis
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FERC Actions Signal Concern Over Investors' Utility Stakes
Two recent orders and a notice of inquiry from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the subject of whether large investors are asserting control of public utilities signal increasing regulatory scrutiny of the investment community's influence over the electric power industry, say attorneys at Day Pitney.
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10 Global Antitrust Trends To Anticipate In 2024
Proactive navigation of the antitrust enforcement environment remains crucial this year as legal policy and tools evolve to meet intensifying global economic complexity, including geopolitical tensions, trade realignment, market volatility and inflation, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Series
Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
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Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?
Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.
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Time To Step Up PFAS Due Diligence In Cross-Border M&A
Regulations in the U.S. and EU governing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will likely evolve to become global standards out of necessity and scale, so PFAS due diligence — particularly for buyers, sellers, and lenders and investors involved in multijurisdictional mergers and acquisitions — will be essential in 2024, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.
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What Can Be Learned From Adobe-Figma Merger Termination
The Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the recent termination of the proposed Adobe-Figma merger deal indicates the regulator's intention to be seen as a strong enforcer in the technology sphere, and serves as a warning for companies to address antitrust risks early on in the merger process, say Deirdre Taylor and Molly Heslop at Gibson Dunn.
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Wachtell-X Ruling Highlights Trend On Arbitrability Question
A growing body of case law, including a California state court's recent decision in X Corp. v. Wachtell, holds that incorporation of specific arbitral body rules in an arbitration provision may in and of itself constitute clear and unmistakable evidence of delegation of arbitrability to an arbitrator, and thus such clauses should be drafted carefully, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
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Consider A Key Insurance Tool For Environmental M&A Deals
Transactional liability insurance can be a useful risk allocation tool for completing mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy and climate and clean technology sectors, though policies must be structured carefully to achieve maximum coverage, say Joseph Castelluccio and Paul de Bernier at Mayer Brown.
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2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement
Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.
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Opinion
Conflicts Abound When Activist Short-Sellers Publish Reports
The self-serving relationship between activist short-sellers and plaintiff-side litigators is conflict-ridden and hinders the fact finder's impartiality when a short report forms the basis for lead plaintiffs' allegations, say Nessim Mezrahi and Stephen Sigrist at SAR.
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Financing Healthcare Deals In Uncertain Markets This Year
As challenges to closing and financing new deals prevail into 2024, lenders in new healthcare transactions are talking about alternative approaches for sponsors to consider, such as private credit alternatives and utilization of junior capital, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Copyright And Generative AI Developments To Watch In 2024
This year could bring clarity to critical copyright issues raised by the recent surge of development in generative AI platforms, as Congress continues its legislative focus in this area and litigation tests theories of liability, say Joshua Weigensberg and Felicity Kohn at Pryor Cashman.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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Antitrust And ESG: Maximizing Targets, Ensuring Compliance
Jennifer McAlpin at Verizon and Michaela Spero at Amadeus consider the convergence of antitrust and environmental, social and corporate governance factors, providing an executive overview of areas to watch, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as practical implementation tips for general counsel.