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Securities
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April 08, 2024
Ex-IRS Criminal Investigations Head Joins Crypto Data Firm
A newly retired chief of the Internal Revenue Service's law enforcement arm is taking his skills to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, where he'll help federal agencies and crypto firms leverage Chainalysis' data and solutions to combat financial crime.
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April 08, 2024
Tradeweb Pays $785M For Investment Tech Firm ICD
Tradeweb Markets Inc., advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, on Monday announced that it has agreed to buy institutional investment technology provider Institutional Cash Distributors LLC, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, for $785 million.
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April 08, 2024
Plot Holes Doom JPMorgan 'Fraud' Narrative, Frank Exec Says
The founder of a startup meant to help college students apply for financial aid said an indictment claiming she duped JPMorgan Chase & Co. into a buyout should be dismissed because it fails to identify her alleged co-conspirators or fraudulent statements.
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April 08, 2024
Glancy Prongay To Lead EB-5 Grocery Co. Fraud Stock Suit
Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP will lead a proposed class action alleging Asian specialty grocery chain Maison Solutions' stock price was severely damaged after a third-party research report accused it and its executives of participating in illegal activities, including using supermarkets as a front for immigration fraud.
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April 05, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Pump-And-Dump Action Against Cartoon Co.
The Ninth Circuit on Friday revived a securities class action accusing children's entertainment company Genius Brands International Inc. of running a pump-and-dump scheme in its stock, and in doing so likened the court's mission to that of the heroes of the company's cartoon production "Rainbow Rangers."
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April 05, 2024
Justices Urged To 'Shut The Door' On Meta Disclosure Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court should "shut the door" on private securities lawsuits that could create a bloated disclosure regime and hurt businesses and investors alike, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Friday in a brief backing Meta Platforms Inc.'s call for the justices to hear a shareholder proposed class action over the Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal.
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April 05, 2024
Exxon Mobil Asks Court To Keep Certain Files From Investors
Exxon Mobil Corp. and its officers say that the plaintiffs in a proposed shareholder class action have demanded a substantial trove of documents that goes beyond what's typical in class certification discovery, asking a Texas federal judge to issue a protective order against the proposed production Thursday.
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April 05, 2024
Perrigo Inks $97M Deal With Investors In Securities Fraud Suit
A class of investors suing Perrigo Co. PLC asked a New Jersey federal judge Friday to approve a $97 million settlement after the court trimmed several claims in the suit alleging the pharmaceutical company's executives made misleading statements to defeat a potential $29 billion takeover attempt.
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April 05, 2024
Med School Ex-CEO Sues For Legal Fees In Del. After Fraud Suit
A company controlled by the former chief executive of a Grand Bahama-based medical school has sued the school's developers and indirect owner for legal fee advancements in Delaware's Court of Chancery, citing a federal suit accusing the ex-officer of selling undocumented stakes in the business.
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April 05, 2024
Starbucks Tells Judge Union Dealings Aren't 'Mission Critical'
Starbucks denied Friday that complying with federal labor law was "mission critical" to its business as it urged a Washington state judge to dismiss a shareholder suit accusing company leaders of union busting, which they say tanked Starbucks' reputation.
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April 05, 2024
Ex-Biopharma Officer Seeks Defense Fees Over Fraud Suit
Biopharmaceutical company EpicentRx has been slapped with a lawsuit in Delaware's Court of Chancery by its former corporate secretary and outside counsel seeking advancements of legal fees he has incurred in response to ongoing litigation accusing the company and its officers of fraud.
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April 05, 2024
Jury Finds Pharma Exec 'Shadow Traded' With Inside Info
A California federal jury found Friday that a former Medivation executive is liable for using inside information from his company when he purchased stock in rival pharmaceutical maker Incyte, in a novel civil "shadow trading" case brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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April 05, 2024
UBS Beats Blockchain Co.'s Spoofing Suit, For Now
UBS Securities LLC has, for now, escaped a suit accusing it of a so-called spoofing campaign against blockchain company Phunware's stock, with a New York federal judge saying that while Phunware has adequately alleged the spoofing scheme took place, it has failed to show how it was impacted or injured by it.
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April 05, 2024
NY Regulators Agree To Skip BlockFi Distribution
BlockFi and the New York State Department of Finance Friday filed a stipulation with the New Jersey bankruptcy judge overseeing BlockFi's Chapter 11 case under which the department agreed to forgo any distributions from the BlockFi estate.
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April 05, 2024
New Chancery Challenge Launched To Board-Investor Pacts
A biopharmaceutical company stockholder has teed up a new Delaware Chancery Court suit challenging board-investor voting agreements, with the complaint acknowledging wide debate over the pacts and a fast-moving push to amend state corporation law to authorize them.
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April 05, 2024
Judge Wary Of Foley & Lardner Exit Bid From SEC Suit
A request by Foley & Lardner LLP attorneys to stop representing a Malta-based registered investment adviser in a $75 million suit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is hanging in the balance after a North Carolina federal judge expressed concerns about their exit holding up the case.
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April 05, 2024
Green Energy Co. Duped Investors Out Of $40M, Suit Says
A proposed class of investors has hit a purported Chicago green energy outfit and its executives with a federal suit claiming they used promises of extravagant returns to get the plaintiffs to invest but never created any energy or produced the returns they promised.
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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
2nd Circ. Revives Coinbase Securities Class Action
The Second Circuit on Friday revived a proposed class action accusing crypto trading platform Coinbase of selling unregistered securities, saying that competing user contracts left it open for interpretation as to who, exactly, was the direct seller of dozens of tokens trading on the exchange.
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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 05, 2024
Ex-Acting Homeland Security GC Joins Nixon Peabody In DC
Nixon Peabody LLP has hired the former acting general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who joins the firm after working with the agency for more than two decades and through four presidential administrations.
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April 04, 2024
Boeing Can't Ditch Ill. Securities Fraud Suit Over 737 Max
An Illinois state judge on Thursday refused to throw out Boeing investors' suit accusing the aerospace company of misleading and lying to investors following the deadly Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes involving Boeing's then-new 737 Max jets, according to an order entered in Cook County Circuit Court.
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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
SEC Officials Say Existing Policies Key To Cyber Rule Reports
Companies grappling with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to publicly disclose material cybersecurity incidents will have an easier time defending reporting missteps if they work to put robust policies in place before a breach occurs, a pair of agency officials said Thursday.
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April 04, 2024
MoneyLion's Woes Draw Del. Suit Against SPAC Insiders
Investors have sued the sponsor of a blank-check company and several of its directors and controllers in Delaware's Chancery Court, accusing them of overvaluing a merger with digital finance platform MoneyLion, which was sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2022.
Expert Analysis
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New SDNY Whistleblower Program May Be A Game-Changer
A new pilot program in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York promises to immunize from prosecution certain individuals who blow the whistle on financial crimes and corruption, and if similar self-disclosure programs are any indication, this significant new policy may measurably increase white collar investigations, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.
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Series
Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.
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A Guide To New Russia Sanctions For Foreign Financial Cos.
Attorneys at Foley Hoag take foreign financial companies on a deep dive into the compliance advice the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control issued after President Joe Biden's December executive order widened a Russian import ban and authorized sanctions against businesses that transact with Russia's military-industrial base.
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The Questions Around Prometheum's SEC-Compliant Strategy
While the rest of the crypto industry has been engaged in a long-running battle to escape the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's jurisdiction, a once-obscure startup called Prometheum has instead embraced the SEC's view to become the first crypto special-purpose broker-dealer, but it's unclear whether it can turn its favored status into a workable business, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.
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Reverse Merger Tips For Biotechs After SEC's Recent Actions
Several recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission developments could limit the viability of reverse mergers for biotech companies, and will require additional creativity and analysis for private companies looking to go public, say attorneys at Orrick.
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Black-Led VC Fund Case Could Hinge On Nature Of Grants
Organizations whose missions involve any manner of race-conscious funding should closely monitor arguments this week in American Alliance v. Fearless Fund, a case filed against a grant program that seeks to address the gap in venture capital funding for Black women-led businesses, which will examine whether grants are charitable under Civil Rights Act Section 1981 liability, say Kali Schellenberg and John Stapleton at LeVan Stapleton, and Kenneth Trujillo at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.
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Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property
In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Takeaways From SEC's Aggressive Cybersecurity Moves
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's intensifying policy on cybersecurity and securities violations in the wake of a data breach — like its enforcement action against SolarWinds and its security officer — has emboldened shareholders to file related suits, creating a heightened threat to public companies, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Considerations For Lawyer Witnesses After FTX Trial
Sam Bankman-Fried's recent trial testimony about his lawyers' involvement in FTX's business highlights the need for attorney-witnesses to understand privilege issues in order to avoid costly discovery disputes and, potentially, uncover critical evidence an adversary might seek to conceal, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.
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NY Discovery Stay Ruling Empowers Securities Defendants
A New York state appeals court’s recent decision in Camelot Event v. Morgan Stanley — which extends a federal securities law's discovery stay to state courts — clarifies an issue that has perplexed state courts across the country and provides the advantage of reduced discovery costs to securities defendants, say Katherine Kelly Fell and Jeremy Wertz at Milbank.
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Del. Dispatch: Efforts Clause Trumps Contractual Right
The Delaware Court of Chancery's Chordia v. Lee ruling this month — that the efforts clause set forth in a stockholders' agreement overrode the acquired company's right to fire its officers and employees — highlights key considerations for parties in such agreements to avoid post-acquisition disputes, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success
Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: A Strong Year For MDLs
While the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation granted even fewer MDL petitions last year than in 2022, hitting a 21st-century low, a closer look at the record-setting number of total actions encompassed within current proceedings reveals that MDL practice is still quite robust, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.
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What EU And UK Corp. Corruption Reform Means For US Cos.
Legislative developments in the U.K. and European Union have signaled that the prosecution of fraud and corruption is becoming a greater priority, and large U.S. companies with a global presence should view them as an opportunity to create and revise their global compliance programs, say attorneys at DLA Piper.