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Capital Markets
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December 04, 2024
Rep. Hill Vows To Tackle Crypto 'De-Banking' In Next Congress
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle plan to investigate alleged government efforts to cut off cryptocurrency businesses from the traditional banking system, Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., said Wednesday during a House Financial Services Committee hearing that also saw its retiring chair feted with a celebration of bow ties.
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December 04, 2024
SEC Scores $13M Default Judgment In Data Co. Insider Action
China-based cloud analytics company Gridsum Inc. and its CEO have been ordered to give the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nearly $13 million after failing to respond to the regulator's claims that they funneled investor money out of the company to the relatives of executives.
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December 04, 2024
GAO Finds Limited Oversight, Data On Crypto In 401(k)s
Though crypto assets make up a small part of the 401(k) market, their limited federal oversight might leave workers responsible for monitoring the volatile investment options, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
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December 04, 2024
PCAOB Boots Audit Firm, Partners Over Altered Documents
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has imposed $465,000 in total fines against Raines & Fischer LLP and three of its partners, permanently revoking the firm's registration and barring the partners after they allegedly altered audit documents prior to an inspection of the firm.
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December 04, 2024
CFTC Hits $17.1B Enforcement Record With FTX-Linked Deals
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission secured a record annual enforcement haul of more than $17.1 billion in fiscal year 2024, including a historic $12.7 billion judgment against failed crypto exchange FTX and its affiliated trading firm Alameda Research, the agency announced Wednesday.
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December 04, 2024
Starbucks Brass Face Derivative Suit Over 'Reinvention' Flop
Officers and directors of coffee chain Starbucks are facing shareholder derivative claims over the company's so-called Triple Shot Reinvention strategy after the company disappointed the markets in April with updates about the plan.
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December 04, 2024
Developer, Michigan Differ On State, Federal Securities Tests
A Michigan Supreme Court justice on Wednesday pressed the state's securities administrator and a developer over how Michigan businesses and residents could be affected if the high court were to decide that a state law test rather than a federal one should be used to determine if a promissory note is a security.
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December 04, 2024
Uber Investors' Attys Awarded $58M In $200M IPO Suit Deal
A California federal judge granted final approval Wednesday to Uber's $200 million deal settling class claims from investors accusing it of making false and misleading statements ahead of its initial public offering, and also awarded $58 million for attorney fees that he called quite "substantial" but "warranted."
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December 04, 2024
SEC Taps New Co-Leaders For Crypto Enforcement Unit
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has promoted the assistant director of its crypto and cyber enforcement unit and a counsel to an outgoing Democratic commissioner to co-lead the regulator's crypto enforcement efforts ahead of a coming administration shake-up that could change the agency's approach to the digital asset industry.
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December 04, 2024
'Patriotic' Marketplace PublicSquare Raises $36M Stock Sale
The money-losing owner of self-described patriotic marketplace PublicSquare bolstered its balance sheet Wednesday through a $36 million registered direct offering guided by two law firms, one day after it named Donald Trump Jr. to its board of directors.
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December 04, 2024
Viks' Bid To Duck Bank May Hinge On Norway Orders
A Connecticut state court judge noted repeatedly on Wednesday that Deutsche Bank AG has not provided her with copies of Norwegian judgments to undergird its argument that billionaire Alexander Vik and his daughter tortiously harmed the value of an asset sale, but the bank said the material is not necessary to let its lawsuit escape summary judgment.
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December 04, 2024
Del. Justices Skeptical $2.4B SPAC Deal Misled Investors
Delaware Supreme Court justices pressed a stockholder attorney on Wednesday to explain how the blank-check company that took electric vehicle venture Canoo Holdings Ltd. public in a $2.4 billion deal breached its duties by failing to reveal information it purportedly had yet to receive.
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December 04, 2024
Crypto Groups Hail Trump's SEC Pick Paul Atkins
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission member Paul Atkins to lead the agency next year, a decision that cryptocurrency advocates praised as opening a path for greater acceptance of an industry that has faced a slew of lawsuits under the current SEC.
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December 04, 2024
Paul Weiss-Led PE Firm's SPAC Bids £836M For E-Training Biz
Investor General Atlantic said Wednesday that a company it manages has agreed to buy Learning Technologies Group PLC, a workplace training provider, for a total of £836 million ($1.1 billion) as the U.S. business looks to expand in the growing sector.
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December 03, 2024
Top Ex-SEC Officials Warn Of Enforcement Upheaval
Former top U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission officials on Tuesday predicted a sea change in the agency's enforcement approach in the coming second administration of President-elect Donald Trump, with a lighter touch for corporate wrongdoers and a whole new ballgame with respect to cryptocurrency.
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December 03, 2024
Crypto Co. Hut 8 Wants Out Of Merger Disclosure Investor Suit
Crypto mining company Hut 8 moved to dismiss a proposed shareholder class action that is based on the claims of a short-seller's report that Hut 8 overpaid for a company with severe operational issues, saying the suit does not show the alleged misrepresentations were false or misleading when made or that investors were actually harmed.
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December 03, 2024
Coinbase Says It Won't Use Firms That Hire Crypto Enforcers
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase made clear that it won't work with law firms that employ former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorneys who led the charge on crypto enforcement suits, singling out Milbank LLP for its hiring of ex-SEC enforcement director Gurbir Grewal.
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December 03, 2024
Unit Of World's Largest Bank Avoids SEC Penalty In Cyber Case
A broker-dealer subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China will escape civil penalties in a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its books and records because of the firm's remediation and cooperation, the agency says.
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December 03, 2024
SEC Says Biopharma's Cooperation Helped It Avoid Penalty
A Houston biopharmaceutical company accused of misleading investors about the regulatory status of two cancer drugs agreed to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's action against it on Tuesday without paying a dime, in recognition of what the SEC said was the company's self-reporting and cooperation with investigators.
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December 03, 2024
'Bitcoin Jesus' Calls $48M Tax Dodging Case Unconstitutional
An early Bitcoin investor known as Bitcoin Jesus asked a California federal judge Tuesday to dismiss charges that he dodged approximately $48 million in taxes by filing false tax returns and concealing how much cryptocurrency he owned, arguing that the charges are unconstitutional.
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December 03, 2024
Judge Suspects Citigroup 401(k) Suit May Unnerve Fiduciaries
Allowing discovery in a proposed class action over allegedly imprudent investments in Citigroup Inc.'s employee 401(k) plan may signal to fiduciaries that their decisions are subject to judicial second-guessing, a Hartford federal judge observed Tuesday amid oral argument on the company's motion to dismiss.
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December 03, 2024
Software Startup ServiceTitan Launches Plans For $480M IPO
ServiceTitan Inc., a venture-backed software startup that serves trades-focused professions, launched plans on Tuesday for an estimated $480 million initial public offering under guidance from Latham & Watkins LLP and underwriters' counsel Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC, potentially marking the year's last sizable IPO.
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December 03, 2024
Celsius Founder Cops To Fraud That Sunk $25B Crypto Lender
Celsius Network founder Alex Mashinsky told a Manhattan federal judge Tuesday that he lied when he told the public that the fallen $25 billion crypto lender's tokens were a safe investment, pleading guilty to fraud charges ahead of a January criminal trial.
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December 02, 2024
Metropolitan Commercial Bank Aided Voyager Fraud, Suit Says
Voyager Digital's former bank, Metropolitan Commercial Bank, has been hit with a 53-count complaint in New York federal court alleging it was complicit in bad behavior by the now-defunct crypto lender and should be on the hook for repaying platform users.
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December 02, 2024
SEC Crypto Cases To Face Review Under Trump
President-elect Donald Trump's promises of a friendlier approach to the digital asset industry means a review is coming for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's controversial crypto suits, but experts agreed that this doesn't mean enforcement actions in the space will grind to a halt.
Expert Analysis
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Crypto.com's Suit Against SEC Could Hold Major Implications
Crypto.com's recent lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could affect the operation and regulation of crypto markets in the U.S., potentially raising more questions about the SEC's authority to regulate the industry when it's unclear whether another agency is ready to assume it, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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Don't Phone A Friend: Disclosing Friendships With Executives
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement against a former Church & Dwight chairman for violating proxy disclosure rules by neglecting to disclose his friendship with an executive officer amid a CEO search illustrates the perils of relying solely on responses to questionnaires circulated to boards, say attorneys at BCLP.
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The Ups And Downs Of SEC's Now-Dissolved ESG Task Force
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force, which was quietly disbanded sometime over the summer, was marked by three years of resistance from some stakeholders to ESG regulation, a mixed record in the courts and several successful enforcement actions, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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SEC Fine Shows Risks Of Nonpublic Info In X, LinkedIn Posts
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced a settlement with DraftKings over charges arising from posting material nonpublic information on the CEO's social media accounts, highlighting that information posted to company websites and social media sites does not automatically qualify as "publicly disclosed" for purposes of Regulation FD, say attorneys at O'Melveny.
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Anticipating Jarkesy's Effect On Bank Agency Enforcement
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, federal courts may eventually issue decisions on banking law principles and processes that could fundamentally alter the agencies' enforcement action framework, and the relationship between banks and examiners, says Brendan Clegg at Luse Gorman.
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CFTC Anti-Fraud Blitz Is A Warning To Carbon Credit Sellers
With its recent enforcement actions against a carbon offset project developer and its senior executives for reporting false information about the energy savings of the company's projects, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staking out its position as a primary regulator in the voluntary carbon credit market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Unpacking State AG Approaches To Digital Asset Enforcement
Attorneys at Cozen O'Connor survey recent digital asset enforcement by attorneys general nationwide driven by concerns over regulatory gaps where technological developments and market changes have outpaced legislation.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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Peeling Back The Layers Of SEC's Equity Trading Reforms
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted amendments lowering the tick sizes for stock trading and reducing access fee caps will benefit investors and necessitate broad systems changes — if they can first survive judicial challenges, say attorneys at Sidley.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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Opinion
FDIC's Foray Into Index Fund Rules Risks Regulatory Chaos
A proposed Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. rule concerning control over passive index fund investments in banks is outside the agency's remit, clashes with an existing Federal Reserve process and would inhibit competition in the index fund sector, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.