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Securities
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May 14, 2024
Carbon Capture Co.'s $1.8B SPAC Deal Sparks Chancery Suit
Stockholders who lost big after a blank-check company took carbon-capture venture LanzaTech NZ Inc. public in a purportedly $1.8 billion reverse-merger in February 2023 have sued for damages in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging disclosure failures and other defects prior to closing.
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May 13, 2024
Tesla Threatened To Fire Holland & Knight, Law Prof Says
Tesla tried to bully a law professor out of filing an amicus brief in investors' suit over Elon Musk's $56 billion compensation plan, in part by threatening to fire the company's longtime outside counsel at Holland & Knight LLP if the professor submitted his brief, according to a filing Monday in Delaware.
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May 13, 2024
Irked Autonomy Judge Vents On HP Fraud Trial's Slow Pace
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Monday blasted lawyers for the government and two former Autonomy Corp. PLC executives in a criminal fraud case over the trial's slow progress, saying he's "annoyed," but also "complicit" because he "did not take more of a controlling posture."
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May 13, 2024
CFTC Hits Crypto Firm With First-Ever Registration Claims
A Seychelles-incorporated entity has agreed to pay nearly $1.8 million in penalties and disgorgement to end U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission allegations it failed to register as a futures commission merchant in what the CFTC described Monday as a first-of-its-kind action involving digital asset exchanges.
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May 13, 2024
Sens. Slam DOJ's Money Transmitting Biz Interpretation
A pair of U.S. senators say they have "significant concerns" about how the U.S. Department of Justice is interpreting the definition of "money transmission" in two recent criminal actions over crypto mixers, warning that such an interpretation "threatens to criminalize core elements of Bitcoin and other crypto networks."
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May 13, 2024
SEC, FinCEN Propose Money Manager Customer ID Rule
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Monday proposed a rule that would require money managers such as hedge funds and private equity firms to document and maintain customer identification programs.
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May 13, 2024
SEC Tells 3rd Circ. Coinbase Can't Force Crypto Rulemaking
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has told the Third Circuit that it already "reasonably explained" why it denied Coinbase's petition for crypto rulemaking and that it shouldn't have to retool its policy priorities just because crypto firms find it challenging to comply with existing laws.
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May 13, 2024
NJ Fraudster Gets More Prison Time, Owes $6M For Tax Evasion
A New Jersey man who was convicted of dodging taxes on more than $16 million he stole from securities fraud victims was handed a six-year prison sentence — most of which will be served simultaneously with his fraud sentence — and ordered to pay over $6 million in restitution during a Garden State federal court hearing Monday in which he denied the crimes.
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May 13, 2024
SPAC Investor Says Insiders Overvalued Satellite Co. Deal
An investor has sued a blank-check company and several of its top brass in Delaware Chancery Court, alleging the defendants protected their buy-ins while leaving public investors to suffer losses following a merger with satellite imaging company BlackSky Holdings Inc.
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May 13, 2024
Biogen Investors Seek Class Cert. In Alzheimer's Drug Suit
A proposed class of Biogen shareholders urged a Massachusetts federal court to certify their now-revived class action alleging the drugmaker made misleading statements about a deficient Alzheimer's drug, arguing it can sufficiently lead the suit with Block & Leviton LLP as class counsel.
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May 13, 2024
Chancery Orders Check Of Trump-Tied SPAC Sponsor Deal
Delaware's Court of Chancery refused Monday to impose a settlement on investors behind the sponsor of the company that took former President Donald Trump's Truth Social media company public after they filed and later abandoned a suit to remove the special-purpose acquisition company's managing member.
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May 13, 2024
Ex-BP Manager Admits Trading On Inside TravelCenters Info
A former BP PLC senior manager has admitted engaging in insider trading over the British oil and gas company's planned $1.3 billion acquisition of TravelCenters of America Inc., according to court records entered Friday.
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May 13, 2024
Judge Says Bold, Italic Font Muddies Allbirds Investor Suit
A California federal judge has tossed for now a proposed class action from Allbirds Inc. investors who claim the sustainable shoe retailer made false and misleading statements in registration documents connected to its initial public offering, saying the complaint doesn't indicate which statements from the company's executives were allegedly misleading.
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May 13, 2024
Binance Says Sullivan & Cromwell, FRA To Serve As Monitors
Crypto exchange Binance said Monday that the federal government has selected a Sullivan & Cromwell LLP partner and a Forensic Risk Alliance founding partner to serve as independent third-party monitors overseeing its compliance with the terms of its $4.3 billion settlement and guilty plea over money laundering, bank fraud and sanctions violations.
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May 13, 2024
SEC Says Biotech Co., Atty Should Pay $14M For Investor Lies
Federal securities regulators have said a Colorado biotech startup and two of its founders should pay more than $14 million in ill-gotten profits, including interest, for lying to investors about the company's financial position, arguing that the founders showed a "total disregard" for investors.
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May 13, 2024
Fla. Investor Duped Brokerages In Trading Scheme, SEC Says
A Tampa-area investor was sued Monday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Florida federal court over a scheme that involved him opening brokerage accounts with insufficient bank funds and taking advantage of the credit broker-dealer firms offered to trade stocks.
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May 13, 2024
Diaz Reus Attys Dodge Sanctions Over Last-Minute Dismissal Bid
Citing a lack of good cause for sanctions, a south Florida federal judge determined Monday that shareholders in a Venezuela-linked bank cannot penalize Miami-based Diaz Reus & Targ LLP lawyers over allegations they delayed an expected October 2023 trial in a suit alleging the bank's directors breached their fiduciary duty.
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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
CFTC Sues Over $161M Cattle Ponzi Scheme After SEC Deal
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued two Texas men who allegedly ran a $161 million Ponzi scheme involving cattle trading, saying investor cash lined the men's pockets and went to paying off obligations to previous investors.
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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
Justices Deny Review Bid From Convicted REIT Execs
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by four incarcerated executives with Texas real estate investment trust United Development Funding to overturn a Fifth Circuit ruling upholding their convictions in a Ponzi scheme.
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May 13, 2024
Semisubmersible Co. CEO Convicted Of Fraud, Fleeing Law
The CEO of a semisubmersible manufacturer has been convicted by a Hawaii federal jury of financial fraud, witness tampering and attempting to escape law enforcement in one of his company's ocean vessels.
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May 13, 2024
Justices Won't Touch Insurer's Win In 401(k) Exit Fee Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a dental office's case accusing an insurance company of unlawfully charging fees to 401(k) plans that left its platform, leaving in place a Fifth Circuit ruling that found the insurer was under no obligation to waive the charges.
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May 13, 2024
Archegos Boss Blew $36B, But It Was His To Lose, Jury Told
The founder of fallen hedge fund Archegos argued to a Manhattan federal jury Monday that charges of distorting markets and lying fall short because he believed in his $36 billion investment strategy but was upended by COVID-19 financial fallout.
Expert Analysis
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SEC Climate Rules Create Unique Challenges For CRE
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted final rules concerning climate-related disclosures for public companies are likely to affect even real estate companies that are not publicly traded, since they may be required to provide information to entities that are subject to the rules, says Laura Truesdale at Moore & Van Allen.
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Oracle Ruling Underscores Trend Of Mootness Fee Denials
The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent refusal to make tech giant Oracle shoulder $5 million of plaintiff shareholders' attorney fees illustrates a trend of courts raising the standard for granting the mootness fee awards once ubiquitous in post-merger derivative disputes, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Traversing The Web Of Nonjudicial Grievance Mechanisms
Attorneys at Covington provide an overview of how companies can best align their environmental and human rights compliance with "hard-law" requirements like the EU's recently approved Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive while also navigating the complex global network of existing nonjudicial grievance mechanisms.
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An NYDFS-Regulated Bank's Guide To Proper Internal Audits
As certification deadlines for compliance with the New York State Department of Financial Services’ transaction monitoring and cybersecurity regulations loom, lawyers should remember that the NYDFS offers no leeway for best efforts — and should ensure robust auditing and recordkeeping processes for clients, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.
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Discord Stock Case Toss Means Little For Fraud Defendants
A Texas federal court’s recent dismissal of fraud charges related to a "pump and dump" scheme on Discord is an outlier after the U.S. Supreme Court scrapped the right-to-control theory of fraud last year, and ultimately won't deter the government from pursuing routine securities prosecutions, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.
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Opinion
Post-Moelis Del. Corp. Law Proposal Would Hurt Stockholders
The proposed Delaware General Corporation Law amendment in response to the Court of Chancery's recent opinion in West Palm Beach Firefighters' Pension Fund v. Moelis would upend the foundational principle of corporate law holding that directors govern corporations in the interest of stockholders — and the potential harm would be substantial, say attorneys at Block & Leviton.
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Strategies For Navigating Compliance Monitorships
As independent compliance monitorships continue to be a favored tool of the government in resolving corporate enforcement matters, counsel should have a firm grasp on best practices for selecting a monitor, preparing the company and ensuring a productive relationship between the parties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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An Energy Industry Case Study In Expropriation Risk
Andrés Chambouleyron at Berkeley Research breaks down how expropriation risk and damage mitigation calculations vary considerably by different energy sources, and uses Argentina as a case study for how energy investors might protect their interests.
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At 'SEC Speaks,' A Focus On Rebuilding Trust Amid Criticism
At the Practising Law Institute's SEC Speaks conference last week, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership highlighted efforts to rebuild and restore trust in the U.S. capital markets by addressing investor concerns through regulatory measures and enforcement actions, emphasizing the need for cooperation from market participants, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Fla. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Early 2024 developments that could have a notable impact on Florida's finance community include progress on a bill that would substantially revise the state Securities and Investor Protection Act, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final rule capping late fees for larger credit card issuers, say Benjamin Weinberg and Megan Riley at Leon Cosgrove.
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Comparing Corporate Law In Delaware, Texas And Nevada
With Elon Musk's recent decision to reincorporate his companies outside of Delaware, and with more businesses increasingly considering Nevada and Texas as corporate homes, attorneys at Baker Botts look at each jurisdiction's foundation of corporate law, and how the differences can make each more or less appealing based on a corporation's needs.
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Management Incentives May Be Revisited After PE Investment
As the economic climate shifts, key parties in private equity investment transactions may become misaligned, and management incentive plans could become ineffective — so attentive boards may wish to caucus with management to evaluate continued alignment, say Austin Lilling and Nida Javaid at Morgan Lewis.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Calif. Verdict Showcases SEC's New 'Shadow Trading' Theory
Last week's insider trading verdict, delivered against biopharmaceutical executive Matthew Panuwat by a California federal jury, signals open season on a new area of regulatory enforcement enabled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shadow trading theory, say Perrie Weiner and Aaron Goodman at Baker McKenzie.
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Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.