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White Collar
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April 05, 2024
Judge Won't Recuse Herself From Doctor's NBA Fraud Trial
A Manhattan federal judge has refused to step away from the case of a Seattle doctor accused of participating in a scheme to defraud the National Basketball Association's health plan, saying there was "no basis" for his bid to oust her after he took issue with the trial schedule and what he described as systemic barriers.
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April 05, 2024
Terraform And Founder Do Kwon Held Liable For Crypto Fraud
A Manhattan federal jury quickly found bankrupt cryptocurrency startup Terraform Labs and its creator Do Kwon liable Friday for securities fraud, after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claimed they lied to investors about the company's stability and business prospects.
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April 05, 2024
Chinese Insurer Awarded Nearly $15M Over Hotel Theft Suit
A California federal judge awarded a Chinese insurer nearly $15 million in damages after a man accused of conspiring to fraudulently claim ownership of New York City's JW Marriott Essex House Hotel and other luxury properties failed to appear in the action.
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April 05, 2024
Firefighters Union's Finance Firm Can't Spike Whistleblower Claim
A finance firm set up for the nation's largest firefighters' union can't escape a whistleblower retaliation claim from the investment adviser it fired after he reported concerns to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a Boston federal judge has ruled.
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April 04, 2024
SEC Points Jury To 'Coincidence' In Shadow Trading Trial
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorney on Thursday cross-examined a former executive of pharmaceutical company Medivation about his alleged "shadow trading" in the stock of rival pharma company Incyte, pressing the executive repeatedly to assert that various facts and circumstances supporting the agency's position were merely "coincidence."
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April 04, 2024
Judge Punts 'Warning Shot' Condo Sale Bid In Giuliani Ch. 11
A New York bankruptcy judge held off on deciding if Rudy Giuliani must sell his Florida condo Thursday, cautioning attorneys for the former New York City mayor that the official committee of unsecured creditors might take more extreme steps in the Chapter 11 case if its concerns over Giuliani's expenses aren't addressed.
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April 04, 2024
Jury Clears Exec From Penalties In Captive Insurance Case
An insurance executive and three of his companies won't face tax penalties for promoting an illegitimate insurance arrangement, a Florida federal jury ruled Thursday.
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April 04, 2024
Investors Want To Try Fraud Case Receiver Won't
Investors in a company accused by securities regulators of a $125 million Ponzi scheme said Thursday they should get to pursue fraudulent transfer claims against other companies themselves, after a receiver indicated he didn't have the resources to go after them.
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April 04, 2024
Crypto Bank, Chair Blast FTX Investors' 'Gatling Gun' Claims
A crypto bank and its chairman have urged a Florida federal judge to toss a second amended complaint from FTX investors alleging they helped Sam Bankman-Fried abscond with $8 billion in customer assets, saying the investors "employ a Gatling gun approach to pleading."
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April 04, 2024
Young Thug Can't DQ Prosecutor Over Questions To Witness
An Atlanta judge on Thursday denied a motion to disqualify the lead prosecutor in the racketeering trial against rapper Young Thug and five others after weighing claims that she had made herself a witness, according to defense counsel.
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April 04, 2024
OCC's Hsu Floats Splitting Refund Costs For AI-Enabled Fraud
Requiring banks and artificial intelligence platforms to share financial responsibility for reimbursing victims of AI-enabled payment fraud could help incentivize better anti-fraud controls, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's acting chief said Thursday.
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April 04, 2024
NC Tax Fraud Trial Evidence Bids Get Lukewarm Reception
A North Carolina federal judge on Thursday seemed reluctant to limit certain evidence against two attorneys and an insurance agent in their upcoming tax fraud trial, saying some of it seemed pertinent to the government's quest to prove intent but suspected other information might be construed by jurors as "petty."
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April 04, 2024
Ex-CBP Agent Avoids Prison For Selling King Of Pop Signature
A 75-year-old former border agent who pled guilty to selling a customs declaration form signed by late singer Michael Jackson ducked prison time Thursday when a federal judge in North Carolina instead sentenced him to a year of probation.
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April 04, 2024
Huawei Slated For 2026 Sanctions, IP Theft Trial
A Brooklyn federal judge on Thursday set the trial of China's Huawei Technologies and affiliates for 2026, over prosecutors' claims that Huawei deceived banks and the U.S. government for years about its business dealings in sanctioned countries and conspired to steal intellectual property from U.S. companies.
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April 04, 2024
SEC Fines Adviser Senvest $6.5M In Texting Probe Case
Investment adviser Senvest Management LLC has agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $6.5 million for its failure to hold on to certain electronic communications, the SEC said, expanding the list of settlements the agency has secured with firms in recent months over off-channel texting violations.
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April 04, 2024
Ohio Campaign Treasurer Takes Plea In Theft Case
A prominent Republican campaign treasurer tendered a guilty plea Thursday in a case accusing him of stealing nearly $1 million from candidates over the last two decades, according to Ohio federal prosecutors and his attorney.
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April 04, 2024
Brett Favre Fights To Revive Miss. Defamation Suit In 5th Circ.
Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre is arguing to the Fifth Circuit that fellow Hall of Fame inductee Shannon Sharpe's broadcast comments about his alleged involvement with a huge Mississippi welfare fraud could not be excused as hyperbole, in an attempt to revive a defamation suit against Sharpe.
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April 04, 2024
8 Bronx Men Charged In Brazen 'Wild West' Beer Train Heists
Eight men are charged with looting thousands of dollars' worth of beer from railyards and distribution sites throughout the Northeast in what prosecutors described as a "Wild West"-like crime spree over a two-year period in which the suspected ringleader is believed to have scouted members on Instagram touting promises of making "100k+ in a month."
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April 04, 2024
NY AG Wants Trump Insurer To Guarantee $175M Bond
New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a Manhattan judge Thursday to make sure the California insurer that agreed to post Donald Trump's $175 million bond in his civil business fraud case can actually pay.
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April 04, 2024
Ex-NY Court Atty Found Guilty Of Official Misconduct
A New York state jury on Thursday found a former appeals court attorney guilty of official misconduct for using her position to provide a legal opinion that helped her husband and his law firm secure a $55,000 payment from a new client.
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April 04, 2024
Real Estate Fraudster Wins 3rd Circ. Bid To Testify
The real estate agent who helped ex-NFL player Irving Fryar in a scheme to defraud several banks out of $1 million in mortgages was wrongly denied the ability to testify on his own behalf at a hearing over alleged violations of his supervised release, the Third Circuit ruled in a precedential opinion Thursday.
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April 04, 2024
Feds Seek 63-Month Term For $8.6M Embezzlement Scheme
Federal prosecutors asked a Georgia judge Thursday to hand down a 63-month prison term for a woman who was caught stealing more than $8.6 million from her employer, a scheme the government called "one of the most egregious employer embezzlement cases in recent memory."
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April 04, 2024
Ga. Says Listening to Atty-Client Calls Not Unconstitutional
The state of Georgia has told the state's Supreme Court that prosecutors didn't trample on the Sixth Amendment rights of a man convicted of assault, because they didn't intentionally seek to listen to privileged phone calls between the man and his lawyer and because the phone calls weren't evidence at trial.
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April 04, 2024
Judge Won't Pause Dismissal Of $114M Discord Stock Case
A Houston judge has denied a bid from federal prosecutors to pause the dismissal of an indictment that accused eight men of running a $114 million pump-and-dump stock scheme, writing that the government's argument for a stay largely rehashes the merits of dismissing the case and "is not particularly persuasive."
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April 04, 2024
Ghostwriting Undercut Bar Conflict Safeguards, Report Says
The State Bar of California's former deputy executive director "violated the spirit and undermined the purpose of the Rule 2201 Program," according to a report the state bar commissioned investigating the former director's "ghostwriting" of reports connected to attorney discipline cases where conflicts arise, including one concerning embattled ex-attorney Tom Girardi.
Expert Analysis
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Reverse Proffers In Federal Criminal Cases Can Be A Win-Win
The increasingly popular reverse proffer — in which prosecutors disclose evidence to targets of a criminal investigation — can help the government test its case and persuade witnesses to cooperate, and can help defendants sharpen their strategies and obtain favorable deals by choosing to cooperate, say Jeffrey Martino and Byron Tuyay at Baker McKenzie.
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Aviation Watch: Pilots Face Mental Health Catch-22
The recent case of an Alaska Airlines pilot who attempted to crash an airliner in flight highlights the dilemma facing federally licensed cockpit personnel who need psychological help, yet could lose their jobs if they seek it — but a long-running program may provide a solution, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Trump NY Fraud Trial Shows Civil, Criminal Case Differences
Former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial currently unfolding in New York provides a reminder that civil bench trials can be just as damaging, if not more so, than criminal prosecutions, due to several key elements of civil litigation procedure, says retired attorney David Moskowitz.
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How Purdue High Court Case Will Shape Ch. 11 Mass Injury
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent arguments in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, addressing the authority of bankruptcy courts to approve nonconsensual third-party releases in Chapter 11 settlement plans, highlight the case's wide-ranging implications for how mass injury cases get resolved in bankruptcy proceedings, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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How New Expert Rules Are Already Changing Court Decisions
Though not formally effective until last week, some courts have been relying for several years on amended federal rules clarifying judges’ gatekeeping role, so counsel should be prepared to justify their expert witnesses’ methodologies and expect additional motion practice on expert testimony admissibility, say Colleen Kenney and Daniel Kelly at Sidley.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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1 Year In, Money Laundering Law Tweak May Have Big Impact
Despite receiving little attention, Congress' quiet extension of the statute of limitations for money laundering offenses involving foreign bribery offenses is a powerful prosecutorial tool that defense counsel can nevertheless counter by using certain pretrial challenges, says attorney Andrew Feldman.
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New Regs Will Strengthen Voluntary Carbon Offset Market
Voluntary carbon offsets are a vital tool for organizations seeking to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions — and recent efforts by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state of California and others are essential to enhancing the reliability and authenticity of carbon credits, says David Smith at Manatt.
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2nd Circ. Defamation Ruling May Chill NY Title IX Reports
The Second Circuit’s recent decision, holding accusers in Connecticut Title IX sexual misconduct cases are not immune to defamation claims, means that New York higher education institutions should reassess whether their disciplinary hearing procedures both protect due process and encourage victim and witness participation, says Nicole Donatich at Cullen and Dykman.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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How Color Psychology Can Help Tell Your Trial Narrative
Research shows that color is a powerful sensory input that affects memory and perception, so attorneys should understand how, when and why to use certain shades in trial graphics to enhance their narrative and draw jurors’ focus, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Consulting.
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Crypto, Audit Cases Dominate SEC's Enforcement Focus In '23
Attorneys at Covington examine the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fiscal year 2023 enforcement results, which marked the SEC's third consecutive year of increasing enforcement activity since Chair Gary Gensler took over in 2021 — this time driven by a focus on combating cryptocurrency-related scams and enforcing recordkeeping compliance.