Mergers & Acquisitions

  • May 29, 2024

    Forescout Investors Win Class Cert. Over Tanked Sale

    A California federal judge agreed to certify a class of shareholders of cybersecurity company Forescout who allege the company deceived investors ahead of a sale that ultimately fell apart, marking the latest win for plaintiffs who previously saw the case dismissed with prejudice three years ago.

  • May 29, 2024

    Chancery Sends Momentus de-SPAC Claims Toward Trial

    A Delaware vice chancellor refused to dismiss any counts Wednesday in a suit filed by investors in the special purpose acquisition company that took commercial space venture Momentus Inc. public in August 2021, with the court noting that the case will be judged on plaintiff friendly entire fairness standards.

  • May 29, 2024

    Bankrupt EV Charger Co. Execs Hid Liquidity Woes, Suit Says

    Three current and former executives of bankrupt electric-vehicle charging infrastructure company Charge Enterprises Inc. face an investor's proposed class action claiming the executives concealed a liquidity crisis involving the company's founder and his investment advisory firm that allegedly precipitated Charge's bankruptcy.

  • May 29, 2024

    Celadon Execs Seek Toss Of TA Dispatch Chancery Suit

    Former executives of now-defunct Celadon Group Inc. who sold its business assets a few months before the transport and logistics company went bankrupt told Delaware's Court of Chancery on Wednesday that a lawsuit from the disgruntled Alabama buyer should be dismissed because it lacks specifics and rehashes already-settled claims.

  • May 29, 2024

    Microsoft's Post-Merger Layoffs Cited In I-Told-You-So Appeal

    A private group of gamers is pointing to Microsoft's recent layoffs of 1,900 Activision and XBox employees as evidence of market harms stemming from Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., as the group seeks to revive a private antitrust suit challenging the merger in the Ninth Circuit.

  • May 29, 2024

    TikTok Ban Gets Expedited Sept. Hearing Date At DC Circ.

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday agreed to expedite the briefing schedule for a constitutional challenge against a federal law banning TikTok from the United States unless it severs its ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., with oral arguments set to be heard this fall. 

  • May 29, 2024

    Handbag Cos. Seek FTC In-House Delay For Fed. Court Row

    Tapestry and Capri are asking the Federal Trade Commission to delay an in-house challenge to the planned $8.5 billion merger combining the parent companies of Coach and Michael Kors, arguing the FTC's separate request for a preliminary injunction in New York federal court should take precedence.

  • May 29, 2024

    DOJ Requests More Info On $2.2B Employee Screening Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice has requested more information about employment screening company First Advantage Corp.'s planned $2.2 billion purchase of rival Sterling Check Corp., extending the review period for the merger.

  • May 29, 2024

    3 More Burns & Levinson Attys Join Blank Rome In Boston

    Less than one month after Blank Rome LLP announced it had opened its Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, another three Burns & Levinson partners have joined the firm.

  • May 29, 2024

    Gibson Dunn, Skadden Guide $3B Merck-EyeBio Deal

    Gibson Dunn-led Merck said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase ophthalmology-focused biotech company Eyebiotech Ltd., or EyeBio, which is represented by Skadden, for up to $3 billion.

  • May 29, 2024

    Womble Bond Adds Veteran Energy Transaction Atty In Mass.

    An experienced corporate transactional attorney has moved stateside from Thailand to join Womble Bond Dickinson in Boston.

  • May 29, 2024

    3 Firms Build $627M Take-Private Sale Of Medical Device Biz

    Medical device company Surmodics Inc. on Wednesday revealed it has agreed to be bought by private equity giant GTCR for $627 million in a take-private deal built by Kirkland & Ellis, Faegre Drinker and Cleary Gottlieb.

  • May 29, 2024

    Wachtell, Kirkland Steer $22.5B ConocoPhillips-Marathon Deal

    Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz-advised ConocoPhillips has agreed to acquire Marathon Oil, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in an all-stock transaction with an enterprise value of $22.5 billion, inclusive of $5.4 billion of debt, the companies said Wednesday. 

  • May 29, 2024

    Royal Mail Owner Accepts £3.6B Bid From Czech Tycoon

    The owner of Royal Mail, the British national postal service, said on Wednesday that it has agreed to a £3.57 billion ($4.52 billion) cash buyout offer by a conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.

  • May 29, 2024

    Anglo American Rejects Extension To £38.6B BHP Offer

    British miner Anglo American PLC rejected a last-minute request from BHP Group to extend takeover talks on Wednesday, even though the Australian rival has offered concessions to help sweeten its latest offer of £38.6 billion ($49.3 billion).

  • May 28, 2024

    Autonomy Founder Says HP 'Panicked,' Tried To Unwind Deal

    Autonomy founder Michael Lynch testified Tuesday in a California federal criminal trial over claims he conned HP into overpaying for his company that HP's board "panicked" after news of the acquisition leaked and HP's stock dropped 20%, that HP fired its CEO and that it attempted to back out of the deal.

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Finds Ex-CEO Owed $79M For Share Lockup Losses

    The former CEO of a 3D building imaging company is owed more than $79 million in damages in his share value suit against the company, but not the more than $141 million he sought, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Consumers, Advertisers Seek Class Cert. Against Meta

    Advertisers and consumers suing Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. over allegations of monopolizing the online social media advertising market and misusing users' data in the process have told the California federal court overseeing their claims that they believe it's time for the proposed classes to be certified.

  • May 28, 2024

    J&J To Pay $1.25B For Global Rights To Eczema Treatment

    Johnson & Johnson has agreed to buy the rights to an experimental treatment for eczema from Baker McKenzie-advised Numab Therapeutics for approximately $1.25 billion, the companies announced on Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Twitter Investors Seek Cert Over Musk's Backtrack On Buyout

    A group of Twitter investors have asked a California federal judge to certify a class over claims Elon Musk fraudulently tweeted about the social media company's alleged bot problem to get out of his $44 billion acquisition, arguing that the case is "perfectly suited for class certification."

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Some Computing Co. Deal Breach Claims

    Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday thinned out the tangled technology investor brawl that emerged from Quantum Computing Inc.'s acquisition of QPhoton LLC in May 2022, dismissing individual parties from the case and narrowing claims against the two companies.

  • May 28, 2024

    Chevron Confident As Hess Shareholders Approve $53B Deal

    Hess Corp. said Tuesday it has received the necessary stockholder approvals to close its $53 billion sale to Chevron Corp., as Chevron separately expressed confidence that it will prevail in an ongoing dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp. and wrap up the regulatory process soon.

  • May 28, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware Court of Chancery watchers shifted their focus last week from the courtroom to Dover's legislative hall, as proposed amendments to Delaware's corporate code were finally introduced to state lawmakers. Hearings, decisions and reversals involved Kraft-Heinz, AMC Entertainment and the merger of cryptocurrency companies BitGo and Galaxy. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.  

  • May 28, 2024

    Kroger, Albertsons Must Give FTC Texts, Written Notes

    Claims from a pair of multibillion-dollar grocery giants that a discovery request will pose financial burden held no sway over a Federal Trade Commission in-house judge who last week ordered Kroger and Albertsons to produce text messages and handwritten notes from key employees as part of the agency's merger challenge.

  • May 28, 2024

    Biz Groups Back BofA In Merger Interest Tax Fight At 4th Circ.

    Business groups told the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday that they supported Bank of America in its fight against a North Carolina federal court ruling that found the bank wasn't entitled to net the interest on the tax liabilities of Merrill Lynch after the two companies merged.

Expert Analysis

  • What Updated PLR Procedure May Mean For Stock Spin-Offs

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    A recently published Internal Revenue Service revenue procedure departs from commonly understood interpretations of the spinoff rules by imposing more stringent standards on companies seeking private letter rulings regarding tax-free stock spinoff and split-off transactions, and may presage regulatory changes that would have the force of law, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • What's New In Kentucky's Financial Services Overhaul

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    Kentucky's H.B. 726 will go into effect in July and brings with it some significant restructuring to the Kentucky Financial Services Code, including changes to mortgage loan license fees and repeals of provisions relating to installment term loans and savings associations, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule Risks A Wave Of State AG Actions

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule language banning noncompetes may contribute to a waterfall enforcement effect in which state attorneys general deploy their broad authority to treat noncompetes as separate and independent violations, say Ryan Strasser and Carson Cox at Troutman Pepper.

  • What Transactional Attys Must Know About Texas Biz Courts

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    As Texas prepares to launch its new business courts, transactional attorneys — especially those involved in commercial, securities and internal governance matters — should keep several issues in mind when considering use of the state's business court system to facilitate deals and settle disputes, say attorneys at Katten.

  • A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches

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    Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • The Opportunities, Risks And Rewards Of AI Acquisitions

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    As artificial intelligence acquisitions become an increasing area of focus for investors and technology buyers, entities should pay special attention to target identification, due diligence and more when structuring and executing a transaction with a company that has an AI-centric business model, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Tiny Tweaks To Bank Merger Forms May Have Big Impact

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    The impact of proposed changes to the Federal Reserve Board's and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s bank merger review forms would be significant, resulting in hundreds of additional burden hours for bank merger applicants and signaling a further shift by the prudential bank regulators toward more rigorous scrutiny of mergers, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 4 Takeaways From Biden's Crypto Mining Divestment Order

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    A May 13 executive order prohibiting the acquisition of real estate by a foreign investor on national security grounds — an enforcement first — shows the importance of understanding how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States might profile cross-border transactions, even those that are non-notified, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Del. Dispatch: Chancery's Evolving Approach To Caremark

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    Though Caremark claims are historically the least likely corporate claims to lead to liability, such cases have been met in recent years with increased judicial receptivity — but the Delaware Court of Chancery still expressly discourages the reflexive filing of Caremark claims following corporate mishaps, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

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