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Capital Markets
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July 30, 2024
Ackman's New Investment Fund Lowers IPO Target To $2B
Bill Ackman's new investment fund Pershing Square USA Ltd. set a $2 billion fundraising target for its initial public offering, down significantly from earlier estimates, according to a securities filing Tuesday, under guidance from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and underwriters' counsel Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.
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July 29, 2024
Truth Social SPAC, Sponsors Battle In Chancery Over Payout
Attorneys for a founding investor in the special purpose acquisition company that took former President Donald Trump's social media site public told a Delaware vice chancellor Monday the SPAC ignored its charter and withheld information about the deal in order to avoid paying tens of millions in anti-dilution protection.
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July 29, 2024
Virtu Pushes For SEC Crackdown On 'Penny Stock' Listings
Virtu Financial Inc. is pressing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to force Nasdaq and other exchanges to crack down on so-called penny stocks, petitioning the agency to initiate rulemaking that would stop companies struggling to stay above $1 per share from continuing to trade on the exchanges.
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July 29, 2024
Wells Fargo Can't Escape Investors' Sham Diverse Hiring Suit
A California federal judge refused to throw out a proposed securities class action against Wells Fargo alleging it conducted sham interviews to meet diversity targets that triggered a stock drop when the truth came to light, finding Monday that the investors had plausibly alleged the bank's ill-will.
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July 29, 2024
BofA, Citi Among Banks In $80M Deal To End Bond-Rig Suit
Units of Bank of America, Citigroup and other banking giants have agreed to pay $80 million to settle investor claims accusing them of conspiring to fix European government bond prices.
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July 29, 2024
4 Takeaways After Courts Block ERISA Advice Regs
Two Texas federal judges' takedowns of the U.S. Department of Labor's recently expanded definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act has limited the agency's authority to oversee certain kinds of retirement investment advice, attorneys say, including some rollover situations. Here, Law360 looks at four things benefits lawyers have taken away from the decisions.
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July 29, 2024
Skadden-Led Driverless Tech Startup WeRide Seeks US IPO
Autonomous driving technology developer WeRide Inc. has filed U.S. initial public offering plans, represented by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and underwriters' counsel Latham & Watkins LLP, potentially marking a rare U.S. listing from a Chinese company.
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July 29, 2024
Ackman's IPO For New Pershing Square Fund Faces Delay
Hedge-fund giant Bill Ackman is still proceeding with an estimated $2.5 billion to $4 billion initial public offering of his new closed-end investment fund, Pershing Square USA Ltd., though the date of pricing is undetermined, according to the new fund.
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July 29, 2024
Ex-Vitol Oil Trader Can't Unwind Conviction After Bribery Trial
A New York federal judge refused Friday to acquit former Vitol Oil Group trader Javier Aguilar or grant him a new trial following his February conviction on charges that he bribed Ecuadorian and Mexican officials to win $500 million in business deals for the global energy and commodities company.
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July 29, 2024
SEC OKs Award Of More Than $37M To Whistleblower
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has awarded more than $37 million to an anonymous whistleblower the agency credits for spurring a successful enforcement action despite retaliation from an unidentified employer.
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July 29, 2024
SEC Says Penny Stock CEO Lied About COVID-19 Deal
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday sued former penny stock company CEO Juan Campo for securities fraud, alleging he lied to investors about acquiring a Colombian cannabis company and about the company's development of a temperature screening device during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things.
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July 29, 2024
Commonwealth Financial Attacks SEC's 'Staggering' $93M Win
Commonwealth Financial Network has asked the First Circuit to overturn what it called a "staggering" $93 million penalty it was ordered to pay to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, arguing that its alleged failure to disclose conflicts of interest to investor clients was harmless.
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July 29, 2024
Davis Polk Adds Ex-Simpson Thacher Funds Partner In DC
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP announced Monday that a former Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP funds attorney joined the firm's investment management practice as a partner in Washington, D.C.
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July 29, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Litigation linked to Elon Musk sparked several filings in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week, including a call for sanctions and hand-wringing about a proposed multibillion-dollar attorney fee. Here, Law360 looks at this and other highlights from last week in Delaware's Chancery Court.
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July 29, 2024
White Collar Update: 4 Developments To Watch
White-collar lawyers are on the lookout for U.S. Department of Justice actions targeting artificial intelligence "snake oil," aggressive pandemic-relief fraud prosecutions, and carrots for corporations and whistleblowers who expose misconduct. Here's a look at some key developments to watch in the second half of 2024.
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July 29, 2024
ECJ Nixes Swedish Dividends Tax On Foreign Pension Funds
Sweden can't collect a withholding tax on dividends distributed by Swedish companies to public pension funds abroad while exempting its own public funds because that is inconsistent with European Union law requiring the free movement of capital, the European Court of Justice said Monday.
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July 29, 2024
Remainder Of DOL Fiduciary Regs Blocked In Texas
A Texas federal judge froze the remainder of a package of regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor expanding the definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, after a judge blocked most of the policy in an adjacent district the day before.
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July 26, 2024
FTX's Ryan Salame Asks To Delay Prison After Dog Attack
Former FTX executive Ryan Salame on Friday asked a New York federal judge to delay his prison surrender date because he was recently mauled by a German shepherd and must undergo "urgent and necessary medical treatment and surgery."
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July 26, 2024
Franklin Says DOJ, SEC Probing Western Asset Management
Western Asset Management, a global fixed-income manager, is facing parallel investigations from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over some of its past trade allocations, its parent Franklin Resources Inc. said Friday.
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July 26, 2024
Shareholder Litigation To Watch: A Midyear Report
A pair of anticipated U.S. Supreme Court arguments, the fate of a new wave of lawsuits against special purpose acquisition companies and the future of shareholder claims of artificial intelligence malfeasance are among the issues that securities practitioners are following as the second half of 2024 unfolds in the courts.
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July 26, 2024
One Prosecutor's Quest To Carve Up Crypto's 'Pig Butchers'
A Silicon Valley-based prosecutor who's made it her mission to fight what are known as pig butchering cryptocurrency scams says it is time to start taking a closer look at the role financial institutions and social platforms should play in identifying and blocking bad actors.
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July 26, 2024
Activist Short Seller Accused Of $16M Securities Fraud
Federal prosecutors in California announced the indictment Friday of the founder of popular trading advice website Citron Research, accusing Andrew Left of exploiting his platform to manipulate stock prices and earn $16 million through securities fraud.
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July 26, 2024
Gas Co. Can't Wheedle Out Of Jury's Decision, Trader Says
A former trading director has told a Colorado state judge that the natural gas marketing company he worked for has no grounds to escape a Denver jury's $3.3 million damages award over his unpaid bonus, arguing that the jurors clearly found in his favor.
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July 26, 2024
Fed Closes Loop On Now-Shuttered Crypto Bank Silvergate
The Federal Reserve said Friday that it has concluded an enforcement action requiring Silvergate Bank to close out its operations safely and smoothly, tying up a loose thread from the California-based crypto bank's move to shut itself down after tanking last year.
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July 26, 2024
Apollo Buys And Merges IGT Gaming, Everi In $6.3B Deal
Funds managed by private equity giant Apollo will simultaneously buy International Game Technology PLC's Gaming and Digital business and gambling machines company Everi Holdings Inc. in an all-cash deal, crafted by five law firms, that values the two companies at $6.3 billion, according to a Friday statement.
Expert Analysis
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Circuit Split Brews Over Who's A Securities Seller Under Act
A Securities Act section that creates private liability for the sale of an unregistered security is rapidly becoming a favored statute for plaintiffs to wield against participants in both the digital asset and traditional securities markets, but the circuit courts have diverged on who may be held liable for these violations, say Jeffrey L. Steinfeld and Daniel Aronsohn at Winston & Strawn.
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Banks Have Won Syndicated Loan Battle, But Not The War
Though the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of certiorari in Kirschner v. JPMorgan preserves the status quo that syndicated loans are not securities, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's discomfort suggests that the underlying issues have not been fully resolved, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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The Drawbacks Of Banking Regulators' Merger Review Plans
Recent proposals for bank merger review criteria by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. share common pitfalls: increased likelihood of delays, uncertainties, and new hurdles to transactions that could impede the long-term safety and soundness of the banks involved, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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SEC Off-Channel Comms Action Hints At Future Enforcement
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.
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Chancery's Carvana Suit Toss Shows Special Committee Value
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.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
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.
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What 3rd Circ. Trust Ruling Means For Securitization Market
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.
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Tips For Balanced Board Oversight After A Cyberincident
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.
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Address Complainants Before They Become Whistleblowers
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.
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Ensuring Nonpublic Info Stays Private Amid SEC Crackdown
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.
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What Cos. Are Reporting Under New SEC Cybersecurity Rule
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.
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Binance Ruling Spotlights Muddled Post-Morrison Landscape
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.