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Securities
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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.
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May 10, 2024
Reddit Accused Of Charging Advertisers For Fake Clicks
An artificial intelligence trading platform hit Reddit with a proposed class action on behalf of advertisers alleging that it has been charged for fraudulent "clicks" while promoting its business on the social media company's website, according to the suit filed in California federal court.
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May 10, 2024
Rivian's Cert. Oppo Not How 'Real World Works,' Judge Says
A California federal judge told Rivian's attorney Friday that his arguments opposing class certification for investors alleging the carmaker misled them on material costs appeared to say that unless a company practically admits fraud in a disclosure it's not a "corrective" disclosure, but "that is not how the real world works."
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May 10, 2024
Adviser's 'Rogue' Trading Cost Investor $700K, Suit Says
An attorney nearing retirement has filed suit against a former UBS investment adviser, alleging he lost over half of a $1.2 million nest egg after the adviser surrendered his broker licenses and started "rogue" trading in risky commodities investments.
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May 10, 2024
SEC Opposes Quick Appeal Of 'Crystal Clear' Coinbase Order
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday urged a Manhattan federal court to reject Coinbase's bid for a Second Circuit review of an order allowing an agency enforcement action to proceed, saying the company's cries of uncertainty over how securities laws apply to crypto assets ignore the "crystal-clear" order it is trying to contest.
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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
Pa. Man To Cop To Dick's Sporting Goods Insider Trading
A Pennsylvania man intends to plead guilty to insider trading on Dick's Sporting Goods securities in which he made nearly $825,000 based on tips unwittingly passed to him from an acquaintance who worked for the retail chain, according to federal court filings.
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May 10, 2024
Zeekr's US Debut Could Spur More IPOs From China
Electric-vehicle maker Zeekr's robust initial public offering sent an encouraging signal to Chinese companies considering whether to tap U.S. markets after a long lull, despite continued risks stemming from fractured U.S.-China relations, experts said Friday.
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May 10, 2024
Ex-Manager Of Lindberg-Tied Co. Sues Over Abrupt Ouster
The former head of a European IT business with ties to beset insurance mogul Greg Lindberg has claimed in a case now in the North Carolina Business Court that he was suddenly sacked, denied a payout and stripped of his shares based on bogus allegations of bad job performance and unprofessional conduct.
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May 10, 2024
SEC Asks For Win Following Ex-Apple Atty's Guilty Plea
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moved for summary judgment Friday on insider trading claims against a former senior attorney at Apple Inc., arguing there is no need to relitigate claims since the lawyer already pled guilty to criminal charges related to a lucrative insider trading scheme.
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May 10, 2024
Solar Co. Stockholders Claim Execs, Board Caused Losses
SunPower's current and former leadership was accused in a derivative shareholder suit of sending the residential solar power company into a financial tailspin by revising financial statements multiple times and causing the stock value to drop.
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May 10, 2024
Kraken Says SEC's Crypto Theory Would 'Gut Howey'
Crypto exchange Kraken told a California federal judge that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's theory of why token sales on public exchanges offend securities laws could lead to a "significant reordering of the U.S.'s financial regulatory structure" if the agency's enforcement action against its parent companies is upheld.
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May 10, 2024
Texas Man Gambled Away Hemp Biz Investments, SEC Claims
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed suit in Colorado against a Texas man and his purported hemp industry investment businesses, alleging he spent over half of nearly $1.3 million raised from investors over three years on sustaining a lifestyle involving full-time gambling.
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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
FINRA Fines Merrill Lynch $825K Over Supervisory Failures
Merrill Lynch has agreed to be censured and pay an $825,000 fine to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to resolve claims that it failed to establish and maintain certain supervisory procedures and comply with recordkeeping requirements.
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May 10, 2024
Prudential Investor Attys Seek $9M Fees For Settlement
Attorneys representing investors in a settlement with Prudential Financial Inc. over claims that the insurer misrepresented certain trends affecting its life insurance reserves have asked a New Jersey federal judge to grant final approval of the deal and nearly $9 million in fees.
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May 10, 2024
SEC Targets Fatburger's Parent Co. In $27M Loan Scheme
The restaurant company that owns Fatburger and Fazoli's made illegal loans to its director and former chief executive, who spent $27 million in company money on himself while skirting taxes and leaving the company struggling, the Securities and Exchange Commission told a California federal court Friday.
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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NY CRE Lenders Need Clarity On Foreclosure Standing
Recent contradictory New York case law regarding issues of standing in commercial real estate litigation creates confusion for borrowers and lenders alike, and should be addressed by courts in advance of the anticipated onslaught of commercial mortgage-backed securities foreclosures, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.
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ERISA Litigation Faces New Frontiers In 2024
As plaintiffs firms explore novel theories for recovery and the Department of Labor attempts to broaden the definition of an investment advice fiduciary, 2024 could see new types of Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation after just 100 class actions were filed last year, say attorneys at Groom Law.
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Del. Ruling Guides On Advance Notice Bylaw Amendments
The Delaware Chancery's Court's recent denial of investment fund Paragon Technologies' injunction motion against Ocean Power Technologies underscores the importance of carefully crafting and enforcing corporate advance notice bylaw amendments, especially in light of universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Venable.
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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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Series
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4
New York's banking and financial sector saw a number of notable regulatory and legislative changes in the final quarter of 2023, including guidance on climate risks and heightened cybersecurity protocols issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services, as well as final revisions to virtual currency listings in the state, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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4 Questions On Groundbreaking New Foreign Bribery Law
The recently enacted Foreign Extortion Prevention Act will significantly alter the anti-corruption landscape under U.S. law by allowing prosecutors to pursue foreign officials for soliciting or accepting bribes, but it’s not yet clear how the statute will be used and by whom, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Why CFTC Whistleblowers Are Crucial To Crypto Regulation
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's whistleblower program has proven to be a key tool in the U.S.' efforts to police cryptocurrency, but a funding issue shows that it has become a victim of its own success, says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.
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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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Securities Class Actions Show No Signs of Slowing In 2024
Plaintiffs asserted securities class actions at elevated levels in 2023 — a sign that filings will remain high in the year ahead — as they switched gears to target companies that allegedly have failed to anticipate supply chain disruptions, persistent inflation, rising interest rates and other macroeconomic headwinds, say attorneys at Skadden.
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How Corp. Transparency Act Can Unmask Crypto Owners
With the federal Corporate Transparency Act in effect as of Jan. 1, litigants may now have a less burdensome path toward determining the identities of owners behind convoluted corporate entities, and, by extension, any digital assets they own that could be subject to a potential judgment, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.
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ESG Concerns Can No Longer Be Ignored In 2024
While the long wait for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ESG rule continues, government attention to regulations, increased litigation efforts and shareholder resolutions seeking transparency highlight the importance of placing an emphasis on ESG considerations, say attorneys at Wollmuth Maher.