Securities

  • May 01, 2024

    No Relief For Fla. Adviser Convicted In $80M Trading Scam

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed the conviction of a Florida investment adviser who bilked more than $80 million from the hundreds of people he persuaded to invest in a fraudulent company, after concluding he was not in custody when he made statements to the police.

  • May 01, 2024

    Ex-Cybersecurity Firm CEO Settles SEC Fraud Claims

    A former executive for a cybersecurity firm has agreed to settle regulators' allegations that he lied to investors about the firm's success in selling a new product and that he fabricated aspects of his background and experience, according to filings in Texas federal court.

  • May 01, 2024

    Split 2nd Circ. Backs Arbitration Denial In ERISA Suit

    A divided Second Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that a group of financial services companies can't compel individual arbitration of a proposed class action accusing them of overcharging an employee stock ownership plan, saying that doing so would prevent a plan participant from seeking planwide remedies authorized by federal benefits law.

  • May 01, 2024

    NY Man Charged With $43M Hospitality Ponzi Scheme

    A Manhattan resident was charged Wednesday with soliciting $43 million in investments through a Ponzi scheme that peddled false claims about his company's business interests in cryptocurrency, Las Vegas sports stadiums and hospitality.

  • May 01, 2024

    'Foul' BioVentrix Cash-Out Gets Extra Scrutiny, Chancery Says

    A medical device company's decision to suddenly and without explanation cash out its common stockholders for less than a penny just two months before the company raised $48.5 million in new capital creates such a "foul flavor" that it deserves extra scrutiny, a Delaware Chancery Court judge said Wednesday.

  • May 01, 2024

    Del. Justices Reverse Toss Of $7.3B Inovalon Deal Challenge

    Delaware's top court on Wednesday reversed a Chancery Court dismissal of stockholder challenges to the $7.3 billion go-private sale of Inovalon Holdings Inc. to Nordic Capital, saying that the lower court wrongly concluded that minority investors were adequately informed about the deal and special committee conflicts of interest.

  • May 01, 2024

    Paramount Faces Chancery Suit Over Skydance Merger Moves

    The general treasurer of Rhode Island has sued Paramount Global in Delaware's Chancery Court for access to records regarding efforts to merge the mass media giant with Skydance Media, accusing Paramount's billionaire controller, Shari Redstone, of usurping company opportunities and tilting the terms and processes toward her own benefit.

  • May 01, 2024

    Globe Life Hid Toxic Culture And Policy Fraud, Investors Say

    Life insurance company Globe Life Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action alleging investors were damaged when a short-seller report revealed that the company had been ignoring rampant sexual harassment among its employees and participating in fraudulent underwriting practices.

  • May 01, 2024

    Conn. Attorney Scores Default $85K Win In Legal Bill Feud

    A federal judge has ordered two Colorado companies, one of which claimed to be working on a cryptocurrency exchange, to pay a default judgment of $85,456 after failing to answer a Connecticut firm's claims that they failed to pay nearly $107,000 in legal fees.

  • May 01, 2024

    Insulin Pump Maker Wins Toss of Investor Suit For Now

    A California federal judge has sided with an insulin pump maker and tossed a suit alleging it misled investors about the potential growth of the company amid inflation and an uptick in competition, saying the suing investors have failed to plead any false or misleading statements or knowledge of wrongdoing by the defendants.

  • May 01, 2024

    Trump's Truth Social Stake Expands To Nearly 65%

    Former President Donald Trump's stake in his social media platform rose to 65%, according to a securities filing, valuing his stake at more than $5 billion based on current trading, though Trump is barred from selling shares for several months.

  • May 01, 2024

    AI Is Top Of Mind For Companies — And Securities Regulators

    As references to artificial intelligence in securities filings soar, attorneys say companies must ground their disclosures in fact and be upfront about risks posed by AI in order to avoid the wrath of regulators, who promise to crack down on misleading claims.

  • April 30, 2024

    SEC Vet Joins NC Firm 'Reinventing' White Collar

    The former assistant secretary of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Christina Zaroulis Milnor, has left government service after more than a decade to launch a Washington, D.C., office for North Carolina-based Cranfill Sumner LLP alongside two firm partners who say they are reinventing traditional white collar work, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives Commerzbank RMBS Suit Against US Bank

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday revived part of a nearly decade-old Commerzbank AG lawsuit brought against U.S. Bank NA over its role as a trustee on a slew of pre-2008 crisis RMBS trusts, sending some of the German bank's previously dismissed claims back to district court for a "closer inspection."

  • April 30, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy VP Says CEO Lynch Told Him To Lie To Investors

    A former Autonomy business development executive testified Tuesday that CEO Mike Lynch directed him to lie to a hedge fund investor about prepaid royalty deals that boosted the company's upfront revenue numbers, saying at Lynch's criminal fraud trial that it was hard to say no to the "big boss."

  • April 30, 2024

    SEC Says Penny Stock Firm Failed To Register As A Dealer

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued a New Jersey company for allegedly dealing in penny stock without registering as a securities dealer, echoing claims the agency made against a different lender, which the Eleventh Circuit largely affirmed in February.

  • April 30, 2024

    'Bitcoin Jesus' Dodged Nearly $50M In Taxes, Feds Say

    The U.S. has charged an early bitcoin investor dubbed "Bitcoin Jesus" over allegations that he dodged approximately $48 million in taxes by filing false tax returns and concealing how much of the cryptocurrency he owned, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Meta Activist Investor Suit Over Social Ills

    A Delaware vice chancellor tossed a Meta activist investor's suit seeking to prioritize wider social impact over company profits, saying Delaware's single-firm corporate model assumes directors owe fiduciary duties to their company's stockholders, and there's no case law articulating that because it's "so basic," just as "fish don't talk about water."

  • April 30, 2024

    SEC Fines Adviser Firm For Splitting Legal Fees With Client

    A Puerto Rico-based investment adviser will pay more than $500,000 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's claims it entered into an improper joint legal fee arrangement with a mutual fund that was also its client.

  • April 30, 2024

    SEC Fines 3 Men For Insider Trading On Zogenix Buyout

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reached deals Tuesday totaling more than $170,000 with three men accused of trading shares of biopharmaceutical company Zogenix Inc. based on insider information.

  • April 30, 2024

    5th Circ. Questions Texas' Standing In SEC Proxy Rule Battle

    The Fifth Circuit appeared skeptical Tuesday of a Texas-led challenge to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulation that will require fund managers to make it easier for investors to identify ESG issues on corporate ballots, with the judges wondering whether the Lone Star State and others had standing to bring the lawsuit.

  • April 30, 2024

    Debt Box Wants Attorney Fees Paid If SEC Brings New Action

    Crypto project Debt Box has asked a Utah federal judge to impose multiple "guardrails" if the court allows the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to refile its troubled registration suit against the firm, including payment of all attorney fees arising from the original, compromised suit.

  • April 30, 2024

    Genius Sports Investors Urge Chancery To Save Merger Suit

    The special-purpose acquisition company that took Genius Sports Ltd. public in 2021 didn't fully disclose how a newly inked agreement with the National Football League would affect the sports data company, investors told Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday, urging a judge to preserve their case against the SPAC and its directors.

  • April 30, 2024

    FTC Puts $26B Permian Basin Gas Deal Under Scrutiny

    The Federal Trade Commission is taking an in-depth look at the proposed oil and gas merger between Diamondback Energy and Endeavor Energy Resources by issuing a second request for additional information about the deal, according to new securities filings.

  • April 30, 2024

    Sen. Warren Probes Annuity Cos. Over Use Of 'Secret' Perks

    Large annuity providers are using lavish vacations and other kickbacks to drive sales that disadvantage consumers, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Tuesday, demanding information from more than a dozen companies on the heels of a new Labor Department rule aiming to ramp up scrutiny on financial advisers.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What 3rd Circ. Trust Ruling Means For Securitization Market

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    Mercedes Tunstall and Michael Gambro at Cadwalader break down the Third Circuit's March decision in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. National Collegiate Master Student Loan Trust, as well as predict next steps in the litigation and the implications of the decision for servicers and the securitization industry as a whole.

  • Tips For Balanced Board Oversight After A Cyberincident

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity disclosure rules, as well as recent regulatory enforcement actions bringing board governance under scrutiny, continue to push boards toward active engagement in relation to their cyber-oversight role, despite it being unclear what a board's level of involvement should be, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Breaking Down DOJ's Individual Self-Disclosure Pilot Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently announced pilot program aims to incentivize individuals to voluntarily self-disclose corporate misconduct they were personally involved in, complementing a new whistleblower pilot program for individuals not involved in misconduct as well as the government's broader corporate enforcement approach, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Reverse Veil-Piercing Ruling Will Help Judgment Creditors

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    A New York federal court’s recent decision in Citibank v. Aralpa Holdings, finding two corporate entities liable for a judgment issued against a Mexican businessman, shows the value of reverse veil piercing as a remedy for judgment creditors to go after sophisticated debtors who squirrel away assets, says Gabe Bluestone at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Address Complainants Before They Become Whistleblowers

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    A New York federal court's dismissal of a whistleblower retaliation claim against HSBC Securities last month indicates that ignored complaints to management combined with financial incentives from regulators create the perfect conditions for a concerned and disgruntled employee to make the jump to federal whistleblower, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Ensuring Nonpublic Info Stays Private Amid SEC Crackdown

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    Companies and individuals must take steps to ensure material nonpublic information remains confidential while working outside the office, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission continues to take enforcement actions against those who trade on MNPI and don't comply with new off-channel communications rules in the remote work era, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • What Cos. Are Reporting Under New SEC Cybersecurity Rule

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    Four months after its effective date, 14 companies have made disclosures under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting rule, and some early trends are emerging, including a possible rush to file, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 10 Tips For ESG Disclosure Compliance In Private Funds

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As regulators increase scrutiny of misleading claims about environmental, social and governance investments, private fund sponsors should consider several practical tips for communicating accurately with potential investors, drafting comprehensive disclosures and establishing internal policies that can keep pace with evolving compliance requirements, says Jonathan Rash at Ropes & Gray.

  • Binance Ruling Spotlights Muddled Post-Morrison Landscape

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Williams v. Binance highlights the judiciary's struggle to apply the U.S. Supreme Court's Morrison v. National Australia Bank ruling to digital assets, and illustrates how Morrison's territorial limits on the federal securities laws have become convoluted, say Andrew Rhys Davies and Jessica Lewis at WilmerHale.

  • What FERC's Disclosure Demands Mean For Cos., Investors

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    Two recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reflect the commission's increasingly meticulous approach to reviewing corporate structures in applications for approval of proposed consolidations, acquisitions or changes in control — putting the onus on the regulated community to track and comply with ever-more-burdensome disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Corp. Transparency Act Could Survive 11th Circ. Several Ways

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    If the Eleventh Circuit upholds an Alabama federal court’s injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act, the anti-money laundering law could persist as a narrower version that could moot some constitutional challenges, but these remedies would likely generate additional regulatory or statutory ambiguities that would result in further litigation, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Del. Match.com Ruling Maintains Precedent In Time Of Change

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    Despite speculation that the Delaware Supreme Court could drive away corporations if it lowered the bar for business judgment review in its Match.com stockholder ruling, the court broke its recent run of controversial precedent-busting decisions by upholding, and arguably strengthening, minority stockholder protections against controller coercion, say Renee Zaytsev and Marc Ayala at Boies Schiller.

  • Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • First 10b5-1 Insider Trading Case Raises Compliance Issues

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    The ongoing case against former Ontrak CEO Terren Peizer is the U.S. Department of Justice's first insider trading prosecution based primarily on the filing of 10b5-1 plans, and has important takeaways for attorneys reviewing corporate policies on the possession of material nonpublic information, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

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