Securities

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • May 10, 2024

    5th Circ. Upholds SEC Proxy Rule On ESG Disclosures

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday threw out a legal challenge to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirement that will make it easier for investors to identify ESG issues on corporate ballots, saying that suing states like Texas haven't proven that they'll be financially harmed by the measure.

  • May 10, 2024

    Financial Tech Co. Wants New Trial In $7.8M Breach Suit

    A financial technology company ordered to pay more than $7.8 million to an Atlanta-area capital recruiting firm for violating an agreement to pay the recruiter to connect it with investors has asked a Georgia federal judge for either a new trial or judgment as a matter of law.

  • May 10, 2024

    CFTC Floats Ban On Election Betting Contracts

    A divided U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved a proposed rule Friday that would ban trading on the outcome of elections, further solidifying its contested position that such activities constitute illegal "gaming" and threaten to thrust the agency into the role of an "election cop."

  • May 10, 2024

    Ex-Pryor Cashman Securities Chair Joins Alston & Bird

    Alston & Bird LLP announced Thursday that it hired an experienced trial attorney who previously chaired Pryor Cashman LLP's securities practice as a partner based in New York.

  • May 09, 2024

    SEC Says Bogus Billion-Dollar Co. Ran Stock Offering Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday accused a man previously convicted of wire and tax fraud of conducting a fake stock offering on misrepresentations that he ran a diversified energy, health care, technology and real estate company that would net billions in revenue when in fact it tallied less than $15,000 in sales.

  • May 09, 2024

    Hedge Fund Manager Says Partner Cut Him Out Of Company

    A hedge fund manager accused his business partner in Texas state court of wrongfully cutting him out of a Dallas-based wealth management company, saying the partner tried to strong-arm him into transferring his ownership interest.

  • May 09, 2024

    Ex-Minor Leaguer Settles With SEC Over Del Taco Deal Tip Off

    A former minor league baseball player has agreed to pay more than $58,000 to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission insider trading allegations involving burger chain Jack in the Box's $575 million acquisition of its fellow chain Del Taco.

  • May 09, 2024

    Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher Drive EV Maker's $441M IPO

    Chinese electrical vehicle maker Zeekr on Thursday priced an upsized $441 million initial public offering, represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and underwriters' counsel Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, marking the largest U.S. IPO by a China-based company since 2021.

  • May 09, 2024

    SEC Sues 3 Penny Stock Firms Over Failure To Register

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed suit against a Long Island man and his three companies, accusing them of violating registration provisions of federal securities law in connection with a $75 million penny stock scheme.

  • May 09, 2024

    Attys Want $102M In Fees In Stock Loan Antitrust Deal

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC attorneys asked for $102 million in fees for settling claims from investors that major banks colluded to avoid modernizing the stock loan market, saying the long and complex nature of the case warrants the payout.

  • May 09, 2024

    US Bank Sees Unauthorized Account Suit Tossed For Good

    A New York federal judge has permanently thrown out a proposed class action against U.S. Bancorp alleging shareholders were harmed after the bank paid a $37.5 million fine to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in connection with allegations its bankers secretly opened accounts in customers' names.

  • May 09, 2024

    Investor Seeks Del. TRO To Block Treasure Hunter Co. Vote

    A marine treasure hunting and salvage company stockholder urged Delaware's Court of Chancery to block a June 3 shareholder meeting called by the company's founder and purported majority shareholder, arguing in part that most of Marine Exploration Inc.'s claimed shares are void.

  • May 09, 2024

    CFTC Moves For Win Over Gemini's 'Misleading' Statements

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has told a New York federal judge there's no need to try claims that Gemini Trust Co. LLC misled the regulator on a bitcoin futures contract since discovery "confirmed" that the cryptocurrency exchange made "scores of materially false or misleading statements and omissions."

  • May 09, 2024

    Lawmakers Say Shell, Eni, Nigeria Deals Need Second Look

    Two Democratic lawmakers urged the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen a foreign bribery case into an alleged $1.1 billion scheme in Nigeria perpetrated by oil giants Shell and Eni, saying a possible settlement in a related investor-state case could mean more corrupt deals are on the horizon.

  • May 09, 2024

    Musk Fights Latest Subpoena Over $44B Twitter Purchase

    Elon Musk's counsel urged a California federal judge on Thursday to undo a magistrate judge's decision requiring the businessman to testify again before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about his $44 billion purchase of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, calling the subpoena overbroad and unconstitutional.

  • May 09, 2024

    Binance Fined $4.4M By Canadian Regulator

    Canada's anti-money laundering watchdog levied a 6 million Canadian dollars ($4.38 million) fine against crypto exchange Binance after the firm allegedly failed to register as a money services business and didn't report thousands of large transactions on its platform.

  • May 09, 2024

    Ex-Dental Device CEO Cops To $10.7M Investor Fraud

    The former CEO of a dental device company pled guilty Thursday to defrauding investors out of $10.7 million with false claims that his company received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval for a device he promised would take the place of X-rays.

  • May 09, 2024

    Okla. Law Curbing Anti-Oil Pension Fund Investments Blocked

    Oklahoma can't enforce a law prohibiting the state pension system from investing in companies that limit oil and gas industry assets, a state judge ruled, finding the retiree leading the suit is likely to succeed on arguments that the statute is vague and violates the state constitution.

  • May 09, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Qualcomm Investor's Diversity Suit

    A shareholder who sued Qualcomm Inc. for allegedly misleading the public and investors about its efforts to diversify its board has failed to show that the company didn't consider diverse candidates, Delaware's Court of Chancery said Thursday, dismissing the shareholder's case.

Expert Analysis

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • Precise Advance Notice Bylaws May Help Prevent Disputes

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    While the Chancery Court's December decision in Kellner v. AIM Immunotech shows that Delaware courts won't always uphold advance notice bylaws, and its willingness to selectively enforce or invalidate individual provisions doesn't create an incentive for companies to be surgical in their drafting, companies should nonetheless be precise when drafting such bylaws to avoid unnecessary disputes, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Perspectives

    6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice

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    An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Canada

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    In Canada, multiple statutes, regulations, common law and industry guidance address environmental, social and governance considerations, with debate over ESG in the business realm potentially growing on the horizon, say attorneys at Blakes.

  • Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga

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    Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • How US Companies Can Wield The New Foreign Bribery Law

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    U.S. companies operating in high-risk markets can use the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act that passed last month to their advantage both in preventing bribe demands and in negotiating with the Justice Department to prevent prosecution or to receive cooperation credit, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • What To Expect From High Court In Corp. Disclosure Case

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    Oral argument in Macquarie v. Moab Partners — a case with the potential to significantly alter corporate disclosures and private securities litigation liability — suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court is focused on answering the narrow question presented, say Elizabeth Gingold Clark and Madeleine Juszynski Davidson at Alston & Bird.

  • New Tech, Old Tricks: How GCs Can Fight White Collar Crime

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    As emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency provide bad actors with new avenues to commit classic crimes, general counsel should develop a strategy to future-proof their organizations against such threats and prepare for regulatory scrutiny, say directors at FTI Consulting.

  • Unpacking PCAOB's Sanctions Against China-Based Auditors

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    Following the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's first major enforcement actions against audit firms located in China and Hong Kong for violating quality control standards, China-based U.S. issuers should be prepared for more rigorous audits in the upcoming cycle, and for continuing strict scrutiny from the regulator, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • FERC Actions Signal Concern Over Investors' Utility Stakes

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    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.

  • 10 Global Antitrust Trends To Anticipate In 2024

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    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.

  • NY CRE Lenders Need Clarity On Foreclosure Standing

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    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.

  • ERISA Litigation Faces New Frontiers In 2024

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    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.

  • Del. Ruling Guides On Advance Notice Bylaw Amendments

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    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.

  • Series

    Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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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