Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Asset Management
-
July 05, 2024
4 Benefits Policy Moves To Watch In 2024's 2nd Half
The U.S. Department of Labor and other agencies are expected to issue a final rule implementing a mental health parity-in-coverage statute, and DOL regulations expanding who qualifies as a fiduciary under federal benefits law are set to take effect in the fall. Here are four policy developments benefits attorneys are watching out for in the second half of 2024.
-
July 05, 2024
CFTC's Pham Says CCOs Must Be Careful With Agency
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission member Caroline Pham warns that chief compliance officers at CFTC-registered firms may face individual liability for noncompliance matters at their firms, telling Law360 that this shows the need for compliance heads to carefully document their actions to potentially avoid liability.
-
July 03, 2024
Enviva Execs Individually Escape ESG Investor Action
A Maryland federal judge dismissed several executives and underwriters for wood pellet giant Enviva Inc. from a proposed securities class action seeking recompense for stock drops over reports they "greenwashed" claims of sustainability, saying the suit failed to show the defendants made conscious misstatements.
-
July 03, 2024
NYC Pensions Defeat Challenge To Fossil Fuel Divestments
A trio of New York City pension plans on Wednesday beat a lawsuit claiming they'd damaged public employees' retirement funds by removing $3.9 billion from investments in fossil fuels, with a New York state judge ruling the workers hadn't shown they'd been harmed by the divestments.
-
July 03, 2024
California Tribe Sues Over 'Princeology' RICO Scheme
A California tribe is suing its former council chairwoman and two members of her nonprofit's board of directors, alleging they devised a scheme to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and insurance costs to cover her Prince memorabilia collection and continue to "squat" on its property to block its sale.
-
July 03, 2024
5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch For In July
Republican state attorneys general will try to convince the Fifth Circuit to knock down a U.S. Department of Labor rule covering how retirement plan managers can consider environmental and social factors when picking investments, while Kellogg workers will challenge class action waivers at the Sixth Circuit. Here are five argument sessions coming up this month that benefits attorneys should keep an eye on.
-
July 03, 2024
Canadian IPO Market Remained Largely 'Deserted' In First Half
Only 12 companies completed initial public offerings on Canadian exchanges in the first half of 2024 — half of which were actual operating businesses — continuing a multiyear decline in new listings for Canada, new data shows.
-
July 03, 2024
Blackwells Loses Bid To See Disney Books On ValueAct
The Walt Disney Co. does not have to give activist shareholder Blackwells Capital more information about an agreement that Disney made with ValueAct Capital, a Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled Wednesday, finding that Blackwells had "failed to meet its burden to prove a credible basis to suspect wrongdoing."
-
July 03, 2024
SentinelOne Beats Investor Suit Over $27M Revision, For Now
Cybersecurity company SentinelOne Inc. has beaten a proposed investor class action filed after its $27 million downward revision of one of its key business metrics for its 2023 fiscal year, though a California federal judge gave the shareholders a chance to revise their suit.
-
July 03, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: Paramount-Skydance, EuroLeague, Hyundai
Skydance closes in on an agreement to buy Paramount, PE firms eye EuroLeague basketball at a potential $1 billion valuation and Hyundai could raise $3.5 billion in its India unit's IPO. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.
-
July 03, 2024
Hospitality REIT, Activist Investor To Drop Board Feud
Braemar Hotels & Resorts and hedge fund Blackwells Capital said they plan to resolve their litigation in a deal that calls for the activist investor to withdraw from a proxy fight and buy a bigger stake in the real estate investment trust.
-
July 03, 2024
Deal Reached In Del. Suit Targeting Gores-Backed UWM SPAC
Architects of a $16 billion special purpose acquisition company merger that took United Wholesale Mortgage public have reportedly agreed to settle a Delaware Chancery Court stockholder suit accusing private equity billionaire Alec Gores and others of misleading investors.
-
July 03, 2024
NBA Marketing Arm Must Face NFT Privacy Suit
A California federal judge kept alive a proposed class action against the NBA's marketing arm over privacy concerns related to the nonfungible token marketplace known as NBA Top Shot, saying the amended version of the suit addresses previous deficiencies in pleading that NBA Properties participated in a joint venture.
-
July 03, 2024
VC Market Relies On AI Funding To Escape Doldrums
U.S. venture funding rose to its highest quarterly total in more than two years thanks to increased funding for artificial-intelligence focused startups, according to data provider Pitchbook, although capital raising is still far below the boom era of 2021.
-
July 03, 2024
4 Firms Guide $183M Nano Dimension, Desktop Metal Deal
Israeli 3D printing company Nano Dimension Ltd. said Wednesday it has inked a deal to buy Massachusetts-based Desktop Metal Inc. for $183 million, a surprise twist that comes after both companies had vied last year to combine with a third rival in transactions that would have been worth upwards of $1.8 billion.
-
July 03, 2024
Weil Adds Mayer Brown Corporate Partner In New York
Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has hired a former Mayer Brown LLP partner, who joins the firm's New York office to work on private funds issues and with investors, according to an announcement Tuesday.
-
July 02, 2024
Even If There's A Better Reading, Follow Arbitrator, 9th Circ. Says
The Ninth Circuit has affirmed an arbitration award requiring two venture capital funds to dissolve in a suit alleging the funds' general partners breached their fiduciary duty, saying "even if there is a better interpretation, the arbitrator's interpretation controls, 'however good, bad, or ugly.'"
-
July 02, 2024
Harvest Capital Class Ends Chancery Merger Suit For $3.85M
Stockholder attorneys who secured a $3.85 million pretrial class settlement for an allegedly unfair Harvest Capital Credit Corp. merger deal won an above-average 25% share of the award Tuesday, in what a Delaware vice chancellor indicated was a move to reward top-flight attention to smaller-stakes litigation.
-
July 02, 2024
Steel Co. Escapes 401(k) Mismanagement Suit, For Now
A Florida federal judge tossed a suit claiming a steel manufacturer saddled its $655 million retirement plan with pricey investment funds and fees, ruling Tuesday the plan participant behind the claims needed to formally show the court that he brought his concerns to the plan's committee before filing suit.
-
July 02, 2024
Asia-Focused SPAC Eureka Raises $50M To Pursue Merger
Eureka Acquisition Corp. began trading Tuesday after the special-purpose acquisition company priced a $50 million initial public offering, embarking on a search to acquire a Chinese or Greater Asian business, guided by three law firms.
-
July 02, 2024
Pharma Co. Scores Exit In Investor Suit Over Primate Imports
A Massachusetts federal judge tossed every claim in a proposed class action claiming that pharmaceutical company Charles River Laboratories and its executives concealed their involvement in the illegal importation of nonhuman primates for research, ruling that the disputed statements are not false or misleading.
-
July 02, 2024
Amway Parent Inks $1.5M Deal To End Retirees' 401(k) Suit
Amway's parent company will pay over $1.5 million to resolve a class action claiming it loaded its employee 401(k) plan with shoddy investments and excessive fees, plan participants leading the suit told a Michigan federal court.
-
July 02, 2024
Bond-Rigging Suit Revived Over Judge's Wife's Stock Conflict
The Second Circuit on Tuesday revived a proposed class action accusing big banks of rigging corporate bonds, ruling that the New York federal judge who previously dismissed the suit should have recused himself due to his wife's ownership of Bank of America stock.
-
July 02, 2024
FTC Challenges Tempur Sealy's $4B Mattress Firm Deal
The Federal Trade Commission moved Tuesday to block Tempur Sealy International Inc.'s planned $4 billion purchase of Mattress Firm Group Inc., saying the world's largest mattress supplier intends to use the deal to block its rivals from accessing the largest retail mattress chain in the U.S.
-
July 02, 2024
Justices Skip Highland Capital Ch. 11 Plan Look After Purdue
The Supreme Court declined to weigh in Tuesday on the exculpations in the Chapter 11 plan from venture capital firm Highland Capital after parties in the case argued that more clarity was needed following the high court's recent rejection of third-party claims releases in the Purdue Pharma reorganization.
Expert Analysis
-
Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.
-
Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
-
ESG Challenges In Focus After Sierra Club Opposes SEC Rule
The Sierra Club's recent objection to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosures for investors presents an unusual — pro-disclosure — legal challenge and an opportunity to take a close look at the varying critiques of ESG regulations, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.
-
For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
-
Bankruptcy Courts' Role In Shaping Crypto's Legal Framework
Massive financial and criminal liability has led to the recent collapse of major cryptocurrency companies and put bankruptcy courts in the spotlight, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework, say Tara Pakrouh and Eric Monzo at Morris James.
-
Private Capital Considerations Amid Market Revival
As improved market conditions position traditional financing to regain lost market share, it's also worth considering the pace and structure of private credit and other forms of private capital, especially when seeking to set unique terms or build new corporate relationships, say attorneys at Skadden.
-
Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.
-
Intent-Based Theory Of Liability In Hwang Creates Ambiguity
A case against Archegos Capital founder Bill Hwang alleging that he participated in a securities manipulation scheme, which goes to trial next month in New York federal court, highlights the need for courts to clarify the legal standard defining "market manipulation," says Edward Imperatore at MoFo.
-
Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
-
4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
-
A Look At Recent Challenges To SEC's Settlement 'Gag Rule'
Though they have been unsuccessful so far, opponents of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's so-called gag rule, which prevents defendants from denying allegations when settling with the SEC, are becoming increasingly vocal and filing more challenges in recent years, say Mike Blankenship and Regina Maze at Winston & Strawn.
-
Flexibility Is Key In Hybrid Capital Investment Strategies
Flexible or hybrid capital funds have become a solution for some owners adverse to private debt or requiring short-term capital support not otherwise available in the market, but the complexity and possible range of structures available means that principals need to consider how they may work in different scenarios and outcomes, says Daniel Mathias at Cohen Gresser.
-
How American Airlines ESG Case Could Alter ERISA Liability
Spence v. American Airlines, a Texas federal case over the airline's selection of multiple investment funds in its retirement plan, threatens to upend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's legal framework for fiduciary liability in the name of curtailing environmental, social and governance-related activities, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
-
Tipsters May Be Key To Financial Regulators' ESG Efforts
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are looking to whistleblowers to assist their climate and ESG task forces, suggesting insider information could be central to the agencies' enforcement efforts against corporate greenwashing, false investment claims and climate disclosure violations, says John Crutchlow at Youman & Caputo.
-
Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.