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Asset Management
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September 26, 2024
FinCEN Withdraws Plan To Bar Now-Defunct Latvian Bank
The U.S. Treasury Department's financial crimes unit indicated Thursday that it intends to withdraw its previous finding flagging Latvian bank ABLV Bank AS for money laundering concerns, in light of its "advanced stage of liquidation" and improvements to Latvia's financial regulatory regime.
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September 26, 2024
5th Circ. Dusts Off FDIC Challenge In Jarkesy's Wake
The Fifth Circuit moved Wednesday to pick back up with a former bank CEO's challenge to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. enforcement proceedings, taking the case off pause now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a similar challenge involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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September 26, 2024
SEC Accuses NC Business Owner Of $28M Ponzi-Like Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a suit in North Carolina federal court accusing an investment firm owner of defrauding investors through a $28 million Ponzi-like manufacturing debt investment scheme.
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September 26, 2024
Obesity Drug Developer Leads 2 Upsized IPOs Totaling $310M
Obesity-focused drug developer BioAge Labs Inc. gained in debut trading Thursday after raising $198 million through an upsized initial public offering, leading one of two new listings that netted a combined $310 million under the guidance of four law firms.
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September 26, 2024
VivoPower Keeps HQ In UK To Qualify For $21B Gov't Program
Sustainable energy solutions company VivoPower International PLC and hydrogen technology business Future Automotive Solutions and Technologies on Thursday outlined additional terms to their proposed $1.13 billion merger, including settling the combined company's headquarters in the U.K. in order to qualify for potential "significant and attractive" government incentives.
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September 26, 2024
Bakery Wants Out Of $16M Payment To Pension Fund
An Indiana wholesale bakery company asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to reverse an order for the bakery to pay a union pension fund $15.6 million, arguing that the pension fund's interpretation of the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act conflicts with the plain text of the statute.
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September 26, 2024
4th Circ. Hints Rocket Mortgage Class Cert. Is On Shaky Ground
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday seemed skeptical that all potential class members who accused Rocket Mortgage of inflating their home values could prove they were injured under the U.S. Supreme Court's heightened pleading standard in TransUnion, putting the lower court's certification order on rocky footing.
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September 26, 2024
Qualcomm Eyes Massive Buyout Of Intel, Plus Other Rumors
Qualcomm has approached struggling rival Intel with a takeover offer, Chevron's $53 billion acquisition proposal for Hess is expected to win regulatory clearance, and private Equity Firm BC Partners wants to buy a minority stake in EuroLeague. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
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September 26, 2024
Conn. Jury Finds Oil Trader Guilty In Petrobras Bribery Scheme
A Connecticut federal jury convicted a former oil trader on charges that he sent millions in bribes through an intermediary to officials at Brazilian state oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro, capping a three-week trial on Thursday.
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September 26, 2024
Quest Diagnostics Escapes 401(k) Mismanagement Suit
A New Jersey federal judge tossed a proposed class action alleging Quest Diagnostics Inc. mismanaged its $5 billion retirement plan by failing to chop under performing investment funds from its lineup, pointing to proof that the company acted to rein in questionable funds.
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September 26, 2024
Southwest Airlines Touts Big Changes Amid Activist Pressure
Southwest Airlines on Thursday revealed a number of developments key to a "transformational" plan meant to drive revenue growth as the airline faces pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management, including the appointment of a new director and a $2.5 billion repurchase program.
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September 26, 2024
MLB Fan Gets Chance To Prove Ohtani Home Run Ball Is His
A Florida state judge will allow Friday's auction of the ball Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani hit for a historic home run to begin, but will not let it be sold before an October hearing on whether an 18-year-old fan had the ball snatched from him at the ballpark that night.
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September 26, 2024
3 Firms Rep As Citi, Apollo Form $25B Private Credit Program
Banking giant Citigroup and asset management firm Apollo on Thursday unveiled plans to launch a "landmark" $25 billion private credit direct lending program in North America, entering into an exclusive agreement that was guided by three law firms.
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September 25, 2024
SEC Fines Alphabet, Others Over Stock Ownership Reports
Alphabet Inc., Goldman Sachs and several other entities and individuals were hit with a combined total of over $3.8 million in penalties on allegations they failed to report information about their holdings and transactions in a timely manner, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday.
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September 25, 2024
In-House Counsel To Play Central Role At AI Cos., VCs Say
Venture capital firms expect in-house counsel at artificial intelligence companies to play a bigger role in their businesses due to regulatory uncertainties around AI, while a professor who helped pioneer the technology warned that transparency of commercial AI businesses should be "top of mind," attorneys heard at the seventh annual Berkeley Law AI Institute Wednesday.
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September 25, 2024
CFPB Gets Partial Win Over Debt Collector's Property Transfer
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and New York's attorney general secured a partial win in its suit over the head of a debt collection company's allegedly fraudulent transfer of a million-dollar property to his family members, with a New York federal judge ruling that they are only entitled to the daughter's share of the property's escrow proceeds.
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September 25, 2024
Texas Man, 6 Companies To Pay $10.5M Over Forex Scheme
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Wednesday that it had secured a default judgment and $10.5 million in monetary relief against Rudy Avila and his six companies for defrauding more than 200 investors out of $6 million.
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September 25, 2024
3rd Circ. Backs Tossing MetLife Suit Over Drug Rebates
The Third Circuit upheld MetLife's defeat of a lawsuit alleging it kept drug rebate profits for itself instead of lowering workers' health benefit plan costs, saying Wednesday the workers leading the suit hadn't shown they were harmed by missing out on speculative savings.
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September 25, 2024
Baker Botts, Latham Lead Natural Gas Producer's $270M IPO
Natural gas producer BKV Corp. on Wednesday priced a $270 million initial public offering below its range, completing a long-awaited IPO nearly two years after filing plans, represented by Baker Botts LLP and underwriters' counsel Latham & Watkins LLP.
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September 25, 2024
Feds Say 'Wall Of Evidence' Supports Petrobras Bribery Case
A Connecticut oil trader violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by sending millions in bribes to officials at Brazilian state oil giant Petrobras through a shady intermediary, federal prosecutors told a jury during closing arguments Wednesday, arguing that a "wall of evidence" points to the defendant's intent.
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September 25, 2024
IP Protection Firm's $426M SPAC Merger Is Scrapped
Intellectual property management firm Zacco Holdings, formerly known as OpSec Group, and blank check company Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp. I on Wednesday announced that they will be terminating their merger plans.
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September 25, 2024
Merrill, Harvest To Pay SEC $9.3M For Ignoring Clients' Limits
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday announced that investment advisory firms Harvest Volatility Management LLC and Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. will pay a combined $9.3 million to settle claims that they exceeded clients' designated investment limits over a two-year period, causing those clients to incur higher fees and losses.
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September 25, 2024
7th Circ. Doubts London Depo Should Trigger New Fraud Trial
Seventh Circuit judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of a former investment manager's bid for a new trial after he was convicted of bilking investors of roughly $10 million because he could not physically confront a key witness who testified via deposition in London, saying he failed to adequately object to the circumstance.
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September 25, 2024
Cancer Detection Biz To Go Public Via $694M SPAC Merger
Special purpose acquisition company Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. on Wednesday announced that it has agreed to merge with and take public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company YD Biopharma Ltd. in a deal that gives the combined company an estimated enterprise value of $694 million and was built by three firms.
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September 25, 2024
2nd Circ. Eyes New Trial In Yale Retirement Fee Fight
The Second Circuit appeared inclined Wednesday to revive a class action against Yale University from employees alleging their $5.5 billion retirement plan was mismanaged, as all three judges on the panel pointed out possible issues with jury instructions before a post-trial verdict in Yale's favor in 2023.
Expert Analysis
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Pay-To-Play Deal Shows Need For Strong Compliance Policies
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, through its recent settlement with Wayzata, has indicated that it will continue stringent enforcement of the pay-to-play rule, so investment advisers should ensure strong compliance policies are in place to promptly address potential violations as the November elections approach, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Bankruptcy Courts Have Contempt Power, Del. Case Reminds
A Delaware bankruptcy court recently held Camshaft Capital and its principal in contempt, serving as a reminder to bankruptcy practitioners and anyone else that appears before a bankruptcy judge that there are serious consequences for failing to comply with court orders, say Daniel Lowenthal and Kimberly Black at Patterson Belknap.
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A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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7 Effects Of DOL Retirement Asset Manager Exemption Rule
The recent U.S. Department of Labor amendment to the retirement asset manager exemption delivers several key practical impacts, including the need for managers, as opposed to funds, to register with the DOL, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Standardizing Early Case Appraisal In Securities Class Actions
While an initial economic assessment of securities class action litigation is far too often not undertaken, it's an important step in planning the defense strategy that can provide counsel, clients and insurers with a much clearer view of the case, and can be simplified through standardized analyses, says Assen Koev at SCA iPortal.
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Del. Ruling Highlights M&A Deal Adviser Conflict Disclosures
The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed the Court of Chancery's dismissal of challenges to Nordic Capital's acquisition of Inovalon, demonstrating the importance of full disclosure of financial adviser conflicts when a going-private merger seeks business judgment rule review, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.
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What's Extraordinary About Challenges To SEC Climate Rule
A set of ideologically diverse legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rule have been consolidated in the Eighth Circuit via a seldom-used lottery system, and the unpredictability of this process may drive agencies toward a more cautious future approach to rulemaking, say attorneys at Thompson Coburn.
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Series
Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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Key Priorities In FDIC Report On Resolving Big Bank Failures
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s report last month on the resolvability of large financial institutions contains little new information, but it does reiterate key policy priorities, including the agency's desire to enhance loss-absorbing capacity through long-term debt requirements and preference for single-point-of-entry resolution strategies, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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A Recipe For Growth Equity Investing In A Slow M&A Market
Carl Marcellino at Ropes & Gray discusses the factors bolstering appetite for growth equity fundraising in a depressed M&A market, and walks through the deal terms and other ingredients that set growth equity transactions apart from bread-and-butter venture capital investing.
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Opinion
SEC Doesn't Have Legal Authority For Climate Disclosure Rule
Instead of making the required legal argument to establish its authority, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosure rule hides behind more than 1,000 references to materiality to give the appearance that its rule is legally defensible, says Bernard Sharfman at RealClearFoundation.
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Opinion
SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.
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What Makes Unionization In Financial Services Unique
Only around 1% of financial services employees are part of a union, but that number is on the rise, presenting both unique opportunities and challenges for the employers and employees that make up a sector typically devoid of union activity, say Amanda Fugazy and Steven Nevolis at Ellenoff Grossman.