Securities

  • June 04, 2024

    'Miles Guo Stole My Money': NY Jury Hears Of Alleged Fraud

    A former supporter of exiled Chinese billionaire Miles Guo testified in Manhattan federal court Tuesday that the purported billionaire conned her into investing more than $100,000 in the media company he founded alongside former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, describing Guo's interrelated business ventures as a "mafia."

  • June 04, 2024

    SEC Shutters Salt Lake City Office, Shifts Cases To Denver

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Tuesday that it will close its Salt Lake City office for budgetary and organizational purposes, saying that the caseload of the office, which among other things handled the troubled Debt Box case, will now be handled by staff in Denver.

  • June 04, 2024

    Fox Rothschild Partner Can't Testify In NJ Fraud Retrial

    Fox Rothschild LLP partner Ernest E. Badway can't serve as an expert witness for a businessman facing retrial on securities fraud claims, a New Jersey federal judge ruled Tuesday, siding with the government's contention that the testimony would be irrelevant.

  • June 04, 2024

    Legal Tech Co. Wants Ex-Exec's $1M Stock Suit Out Of NY

    A former legal tech executive's lawsuit claiming she was sexually harassed, fired and then cut out of $1 million in stock options should be moved from New York to either Texas or arbitration, or dismissed entirely, her former colleagues said Tuesday, calling the allegations against them "vague and conclusory."

  • June 04, 2024

    Illumina Board Puts Grail Spinoff In Motion After EU OK

    Illumina Inc. said Tuesday that its board had approved a spinoff of its cancer detection company following a push by activist heavyweight Carl Icahn and an ultimate order from European authorities to dispose of the asset. 

  • June 04, 2024

    Ex-Lumentum VP Traded On Merger Info, SEC Says

    The former vice president of product line management at Lumentum has been accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of using nonpublic information about a pending merger to trade stock during his time with the laser products company.

  • June 04, 2024

    Archegos Jury Note Demands Info After Atty's COVID Absence

    A juror hearing the government's $36 billion market manipulation case against Archegos founder Bill Hwang took the unusual step Tuesday of asking if there was "something we are not being told" after COVID-19 sidelined a lawyer and prompted others to don masks.

  • June 03, 2024

    FTX, IRS Propose Settling $8B Tax Fight For Just $885M

    FTX and the Internal Revenue Service have reached a proposed settlement worth roughly $885 million that would resolve the agency's contention that the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange operator owes $8 billion in taxes, according to a motion filed Monday in Delaware federal bankruptcy court.

  • June 03, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy CEO 'Had 500M Reasons' For Fraud, Jury Told

    Autonomy's ex-CEO Michael Lynch "had 500 million reasons to defraud HP," since he reaped $500 million by selling his company to the tech giant at an inflated price, a federal prosecutor argued Monday during closings for the businessman's criminal trial, while Lynch's lawyer told jurors, "HP was not a victim."

  • June 03, 2024

    Self-Driving Tech Co. Beats Investor Suit Over Chip Pic Gaffe

    Autonomous vehicle technology company Luminar Technologies Inc. no longer faces a proposed investor class action alleging it passed off an image of a competitor's technology as its own after a Florida federal judge found that the allegedly stolen image wouldn't actually be relevant to reasonable investors.

  • June 03, 2024

    11th Circ. Backs Freeze Of Grants For Black Women Only

    In a split decision Monday, the Eleventh Circuit said that a Georgia federal judge should have blocked a Black-led venture capital firm from awarding grants to businesses owned only by Black women, opining that the practice was "substantially likely" to violate federal law barring racial discrimination in the writing of contracts.

  • June 03, 2024

    Humana Hit With Investor Suit Over Post-COVID Costs

    Health insurer Humana and two executives were hit with an investor class action on Monday, claiming they misled shareholders about the cost of pent-up demand for medical treatments once the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.

  • June 03, 2024

    ChampionX Investor Sues Over $7.8B Deal Proxy

    A shareholder of energy technology provider ChampionX Corp. has sued the company and its board of directors in an attempt to enjoin a proposed acquisition by another energy-focused technology company, SLB, alleging that ChampionX filed a deficient proxy statement.

  • June 03, 2024

    Green Groups Drop Their Challenge To SEC's Climate Rule

    The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club have voluntarily asked the Eighth Circuit to dismiss their challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rule, saying they are instead focusing their resources elsewhere.

  • June 03, 2024

    Vietnamese EV Co. Hit With Investor Suit Over SPAC Merger

    Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast Auto and several executives have been hit with a proposed class action alleging they exaggerated the strength of VinFast's business model and prospects following a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company last year.

  • June 03, 2024

    Exxon Fights Activist Investor's 'Toothless' Dismissal Bid

    Exxon Mobil Corp. is not backing away from a Texas lawsuit accusing investment adviser Arjuna Capital of improperly meddling in its business affairs by backing a proposal to reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions, calling promises not to resubmit similar proposals in the future "toothless" in the wake of activist shareholder pressure to change the company's climate policy.

  • June 03, 2024

    Congress' Crypto Votes Lay Groundwork For Next Session

    Congress' sudden and surprisingly bipartisan momentum on crypto policy is unlikely to result in a signed law this year, but the agreements set the stage for proposals that could go the distance next session.

  • June 03, 2024

    Ericsson Says It Has Completed DPA Compliance Monitorship

    Swedish telecom giant Ericsson announced Monday that it has completed a four-year compliance monitorship imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a deferred prosecution agreement over long-running bribery and slush fund schemes around the world.

  • June 03, 2024

    Del. Court Tosses SPAC Suit Targeting $2.4B EV Co. Deal

    A Delaware vice chancellor has tossed a suit filed by an investor of a blank-check company challenging the $2.4 billion take-public deal it completed with electric-vehicle company Canoo Holdings Ltd., saying the investor's allegations of poor performance are not enough to assert claims for breaches of fiduciary duties.

  • June 03, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery pushed out tons of decisions last week, along with a second round of new rules and letters of concern over pending changes to the state's corporate law code. The court's docket was as busy as ever, with new cases involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk, FTX cryptocurrency claims, and more. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • June 03, 2024

    Chancery Suit Over $1.4B Building Co. Merger Survives Trims

    The CEO, controlling investor and board members of specialty building product maker Foundation Building Materials Inc. must face Delaware Court of Chancery breach of fiduciary duty claims filed by stockholder after a $1.4 billion company sale, a Delaware vice chancellor has ruled.

  • June 03, 2024

    Vanguard Investors Want Class Cert. In Tax Liability Fight

    Investors accusing Vanguard and its top brass of violating its fiduciary duties by triggering a sell-off of assets in target retirement funds in an attempt to lower fees, leaving smaller investors with massive tax bills, asked a Pennsylvania federal court to certify them as a class.

  • June 03, 2024

    Archegos Bets Moved Stock Prices Like A 'Magnet,' Jury Told

    An economist on Monday told the Manhattan federal jury hearing charges that Archegos founder Bill Hwang perpetrated a $36 billion market distortion that his big-dollar market moves at the fallen hedge fund pulled share prices like a "magnet."

  • June 03, 2024

    Jane Street Blasts Trading Firm's Defense In Trade Secret Row

    Trading firm Jane Street Group LLC has urged a Manhattan federal judge to toss the counterclaims and affirmative defenses of two ex-employees and Millennium Management LLC in a trade secret suit, saying each is either "redundant" or has "little to no alleged facts to support" it.

  • June 03, 2024

    Cozen O'Connor Hires Sidley Securities Litigator In NY

    Cozen O'Connor has hired a longtime Sidley Austin LLP associate who joins the firm's New York City office to continue his practice focused on a range of securities matters, the firm announced Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • Compliance Strategies To Mitigate 3 New Areas Of AI Risk

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    The era of artificial intelligence-assisted corporate crime is here, but several concrete mitigation strategies can allow companies to address the new, rapidly evolving threats posed by deepfakes, information barrier evasion and AI model manipulation, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • SEC Off-Channel Comms Action Hints At Future Enforcement

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    Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent enforcement action against Senvest does not shed light on how the agency will calibrate penalties related to off-channel communications violations, it does suggest that we may see more cases against standalone investment advisers, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Chancery's Carvana Suit Toss Shows Special Committee Value

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent dismissal of a stockholder complaint against Carvana illustrates how special litigation committees can be a powerful tool for boards to regain control after litigation alleging a breach of fiduciary duty, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 7th Circ. Mootness Fee Case May Curb Frivolous Merger Suits

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    On April 15, the Seventh Circuit in Jorge Alcarez v. Akorn Inc. mapped out a framework for courts to consider mootness fees paid to individual shareholders after the voluntary dismissal of a challenge to a public company merger, which could encourage objections to mootness fees and reduce the number of frivolous merger challenges filed, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 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.

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