Capital Markets

  • October 30, 2024

    'Vague' Witness Sinks Green Materials Co. Investor Suit

    A California federal judge dismissed an investor suit Tuesday filed against a maker of sustainable materials alleging it failed to disclose a change in direction in its manufacturing plans and a delay in building a new plant, saying the suit relies heavily on statements of a confidential witness that are "fatally vague."

  • October 30, 2024

    CFTC's Mersinger Wants Cooperation, Self-Reporting Reforms

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission should reform its process for crediting those who self-report, cooperate and remediate in connection to enforcement proceedings, one of the agency's commissioners said Wednesday.

  • October 30, 2024

    Binance Can't Force Canadian Class Action Into Arbitration

    A Canadian appeals court has affirmed that cryptocurrency exchange Binance cannot force a proposed class action accusing it of illegally trading and distributing securities into arbitration in Hong Kong, saying a lower court judge correctly found the arbitration clause to be unenforceable.

  • October 30, 2024

    Apparel Co.'s Crypto Allies Say SEC Suit Is Ripe For Court

    Cryptocurrency advocates have told a Texas federal judge that apparel company Beba and its crypto industry group backer have standing to preemptively sue the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, arguing that the regulator has created an impossible situation for crypto firms by bringing enforcement actions without setting clear rules for digital assets.

  • October 30, 2024

    Bernstein Litowitz, NYS Fund Rep CrowdStrike Investor Class

    Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP will represent a putative class of CrowdStrike investors in litigation alleging the cybersecurity company mischaracterized the risk of seeing a major outage like the one it faced in July.

  • October 30, 2024

    Mortgage Co. Says Pension Fund Can't Jump In To Lead Suit

    Rocket Companies Inc. has told a Michigan federal judge to reject a renewed class certification bid in a shareholder suit accusing the mortgage business of concealing a downturn in loan volume, arguing that the pension fund trying to take over as lead plaintiff is inadequate to represent the proposed class, among other things.

  • October 30, 2024

    Defunct Insurer Says Broker Sabotoged Investment Coverage

    A defunct specialty insurer has accused a broker of sabotaging its innovative investment theft protection program, telling a Florida federal court the broker not only failed to sell a single policy but also abruptly canceled its agreement amid negotiations with a separate broker, damaging the insurer's reputation and costing it millions of dollars.

  • October 30, 2024

    3 Firms Vie To Lead Starbucks 'Reinvention' Plan Investor Suit

    Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, Levi & Korsinsky LLP and The Rosen Law Firm PA launched competing bids seeking to lead a proposed investor class action alleging Starbucks misled the markets about prospects for its reinvention strategy, causing share prices to drop when it announced disappointing quarterly results in April.

  • October 30, 2024

    Mass. AG Seeks To Bar 'NYSE' Crypto Trading Scheme

    The Massachusetts attorney general has filed a complaint attempting to shut down a cryptocurrency investment scheme that allegedly uses the acronym of the New York Stock Exchange to dupe its victims.

  • October 30, 2024

    Crypto Platform Founder Pleads Guilty To Illegal Wash Trading

    The founder of cryptocurrency market-making platform MyTrade pled guilty in Massachusetts federal court Wednesday to orchestrating millions of dollars worth of daily wash trades to illegally inflate the prices of digital tokens.

  • October 30, 2024

    Siemens Makes $10.6B AI Push With Altair Engineering Buy

    German tech conglomerate Siemens AG has agreed to acquire software company Altair Engineering Inc. for approximately $10.6 billion, in a deal that seeks to bolster its artificial intelligence-powered design and simulation portfolio, the companies said Wednesday.

  • October 30, 2024

    FTX Witness Who Saw Bankman-Fried's 'Evil' Avoids Prison

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed FTX's former chief engineer to avoid prison Wednesday, crediting his trial testimony against the crypto exchange's founder Sam Bankman-Fried, his ongoing cooperation and his relatively small role in the $11.2 billion fraud.

  • October 30, 2024

    AI-Focused SPAC Joins Pipeline With $200M IPO Filing

    Archimedes Tech SPAC Partners II Co., a special purpose acquisition company targeting the artificial intelligence industry, filed plans on Wednesday for an estimated $200 million initial public offering, while another SPAC, energy-transition focused Tavia Acquisition Corp., downsized plans.

  • October 30, 2024

    MVP: Wachtell's Emily D. Johnson

    Emily Johnson of Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz's capital markets practice led the financing for Diamondback Energy Inc.'s $26 billion acquisition of Endeavor Energy Resources LP, and steered the financing structure of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's transformational $14 billion all-cash purchase of Juniper Networks, earning her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Capital Markets MVPs.

  • October 29, 2024

    'In-And-Out' Trades Don't Doom Lead Plaintiff Bid, Judge Says

    A Manhattan federal judge appointed a Pomerantz LLP client as lead plaintiff in a shareholder suit against Nano Nuclear Energy Inc., rejecting arguments that the investor's handful of so-called in-and-out trades in the company's stock should preclude her from representing the proposed class in securities fraud allegations against the company.

  • October 29, 2024

    Alameda Research Wants Crypto Exchange To Return $50M

    Alameda Research, the crypto trading affiliate of the bankrupt FTX digital asset empire, has sued the operators of KuCoin cryptocurrency exchange in Delaware bankruptcy court seeking the return of $50 million of assets that continue to be held on the platform despite the debtors' requests.

  • October 29, 2024

    NFT Platform OpenSea Taps Consensys Atty To Be Deputy GC

    Blockchain software developer Consensys' head of litigation has departed the firm amid its fight with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to step into a deputy general counsel role at OpenSea, another crypto firm facing scrutiny from the securities regulator.

  • October 29, 2024

    Lovesac To Pay SEC $1.5M Fine In Accounting Fraud Case

    Beanbag chair maker Lovesac has agreed to pay $1.5 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle allegations that some of the company's former executives conspired to cover up an accounting debacle over how it recorded what's known as last-mile shipping costs.

  • October 29, 2024

    Yieldstreet Investors' $9M Deal Over Risky Offerings OK'd

    A New York federal judge has given his preliminary blessing to a settlement worth up to $9 million resolving a class action by Yieldstreet investors who accused the online platform of offering "riskier-than-junk-bond investments" to the public that caused the plaintiffs to lose millions of dollars in defaulted loans.

  • October 29, 2024

    Crypto Co. Consensys CEO Slams SEC In Announcing Layoffs

    Blockchain software firm Consensys on Tuesday announced a round of layoffs affecting 20% of its staff that it says was driven in part by a costly legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, but a spokesperson confirmed to Law360 that the firm's legal department wasn't part of the reduction.

  • October 29, 2024

    Biopharma Co. Escapes Investor Suit Over Drug Approval Lies

    Biopharmaceutical company Spero Therapeutics Inc. has escaped a proposed investor class action accusing it of concealing warning signs that it would not secure regulatory approval of one of its drugs, with the court ruling that Spero's interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration do not indicate Spero should have known its application would be rejected.

  • October 29, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives Investor Suit Against Chinese News App

    The Second Circuit has revived a securities class action alleging that Chinese news aggregation app Qutoutiao hid changes in its advertising policies that allegedly spurred fraudulent advertisements on the app and eventually caused its share price to decline, finding that the lower court erred in determining that the suit's claims sound in fraud.

  • October 29, 2024

    Cash-Strapped Boeing Prices Upsized $21B Share Sale

    Boeing said Tuesday it had priced an upsized sale of common and depositary shares to raise more than $21 billion, in an offering guided by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP that would bolster the plane maker's cash balances amid a protracted strike.

  • October 29, 2024

    MoFo Adds Kirkland Capital Markets Ace In San Diego

    Morrison Foerster LLP is boosting its transactions team, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing in a Kirkland & Ellis LLP capital markets pro as a partner in its San Diego office as part of the firm's plan to increase high-level talent on the West Coast.

  • October 29, 2024

    Oil Trader's Brother Gets Probation, Fine For Brazilian Bribes

    An ailing Connecticut man who admitted to helping his brother pull off a scheme to bribe officials at Brazil's state-owned oil company has been sentenced to probation, a fine and asset forfeiture, federal court records showed Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Why The SEC Is Targeting Short-And-Distort Schemes

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent crackdown on the illegal practice of short-and-distort trades highlights the urgent need for public companies to adopt proactive measures, including pursuing private rights of action, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • A Look At The Regulatory Scrutiny Facing Liquid Restaking

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    Recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions highlight the regulatory challenges facing emerging financial instruments like liquid restaking tokens and services, say Daniel Davis and Alexander Kim at Katten.

  • 5 Insights Into FDIC's Final Rule On Big-Bank Resolution Plans

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    Although the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recently finalized rule expanding resolution planning requirements for large banks was generally adopted as proposed, it includes key changes related to filing deadlines, review and feedback, and incorporates lessons learned — particularly from last year's bank failures, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull

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    Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • How 3 Recent High Court Rulings Could Shape Fintech Policy

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Jarkesy, Loper Bright and Corner Post provide fintech companies with new legal strategies to challenge regulatory actions, but agency reactions to these rulings and inconsistent judicial interpretations could bring compliance challenges and uncertainties, says Amy Whitsel at FS Vector.

  • 2nd Circ. Case Reinforces Need For Advance Notice Bylaws

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Nano Dimension v. Murchinson illustrates that Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act is a square peg for a round hole, and that advance notice bylaws are far better at protecting against undisclosed coordination among activist shareholders, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • SolarWinds Ruling Offers Cyber Incident Response Takeaways

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    The New York federal court's dismissal of all charges related to the 2019 Sunburst cyberattack is a devastating blow to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity case against SolarWinds, but the well-reasoned opinion provides valuable lessons that may improve companies' defensive posture in the wake of a major cybersecurity incident, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Evolving Regulatory Oversight For AI And Asset Management

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    Attorneys at K&L Gates discuss the evolving regulatory and legislative landscape for artificial intelligence in the asset management industry, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Congress consider how to address potential investor protection and systemic risks associated with AI.

  • Series

    A Day In The In-House Life: Block CLO Talks Problem-Solving

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    Amid the busy summer months, Block Inc. Chief Legal Officer Chrysty Esperanza chronicles a typical Wednesday where she conquered everything from unexpected fintech regulatory issues and team building to Bay Area commutes and school drop-off.

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