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Mergers & Acquisitions
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May 30, 2024
Autonomy VP Declines To Take Stand As Fraud Trial Nears End
Testimony wrapped Thursday in a California federal criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and finance vice president Stephen Chamberlain duped HP into overpaying billions for the British tech company, as Chamberlain opted not to testify in his own defense after Lynch stepped off the witness stand.
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May 30, 2024
Chancery Sweeps Away Most Challenges To Broker's Control
Independent insurance distributor BRP Group Inc. has defeated most stockholder challenges to founder preapproval requirements for company actions, according to a Delaware Court of Chancery ruling upholding a consent and defense agreement established after the company was sued.
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May 30, 2024
Divided FTC Won't Delay Kroger-Albertsons In-House Case
The Federal Trade Commission's three Democrats refused Wednesday to delay the agency in-house challenge to Kroger's $24.6 billion purchase of Albertsons, blaming the grocery giants for their scheduling challenges and drawing a sharp dissent from the FTC's two Republicans.
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May 30, 2024
FTC, Novant Ask To Delay In-House Trial On Merger Challenge
The Federal Trade Commission and Novant Health have asked to postpone an upcoming administrative hearing over the nonprofit's proposed purchase of two North Carolina hospitals, a purchase that regulators are concerned will dampen competition in the region, according to a notice filed in federal court.
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May 30, 2024
KKR's $24B NetCo Buy Gets EU Regulatory Approval
The European Commission said Thursday it has approved KKR & Co.'s planned $23.7 billion acquisition of NetCo from Italian telecommunications provider TIM Group, paving the way for the close of one of the largest deals announced last year.
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May 30, 2024
The 'Not-Postings' Of A Delaware Chancery Court Judge
Close observers of Delaware's Court of Chancery have recently gotten a new window into the First State's preeminent court of equity: Delaware Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster, one of seven judges on the court's bench, has recently rejoined LinkedIn.
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May 30, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: Aramco, Double Eagle, WeWork
Saudi Arabia is planning a stock sale of state-backed oil giant Armaco that could exceed $10 billion, Double Eagle hopes to unload a Permian-based oil producer for $6.5 billion, and Adam Neumman has ended his bid to reacquire WeWork. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
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May 30, 2024
Ex-KPMG Manager Joins Davis+Gilbert As Tax Partner
A former managing director at KPMG has joined New York law firm Davis+Gilbert LLP as a tax partner in its corporate and transactions practice, Davis+Gilbert announced.
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May 30, 2024
US Steel, Nippon Obtain All Non-US Regulatory Approvals
U.S. Steel Corp. and Nippon Steel Corp. said Thursday they have received all non-U.S. regulatory nods to move ahead with their planned $14.9 billion merger, including from the European Commission and the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority.
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May 30, 2024
Clifford Chance Steers Brookfield's €6B Energy Biz Purchase
Brookfield Corp. said on Thursday that it plans to buy French green energy company Neoen SA for €6.1 billion ($6.6 billion) as the Canadian asset manager moves to diversify its business in the global renewables market.
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May 29, 2024
Forescout Investors Win Class Cert. Over Tanked Sale
A California federal judge agreed to certify a class of shareholders of cybersecurity company Forescout who allege the company deceived investors ahead of a sale that ultimately fell apart, marking the latest win for plaintiffs who previously saw the case dismissed with prejudice three years ago.
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May 29, 2024
Chancery Sends Momentus De-SPAC Claims Toward Trial
A Delaware vice chancellor refused to dismiss any counts Wednesday in a suit filed by investors in the special purpose acquisition company that took commercial space venture Momentus Inc. public in August 2021, with the court noting that the case will be judged on plaintiff friendly entire fairness standards.
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May 29, 2024
Bankrupt EV Charger Co. Execs Hid Liquidity Woes, Suit Says
Three current and former executives of bankrupt electric-vehicle charging infrastructure company Charge Enterprises Inc. face an investor's proposed class action claiming the executives concealed a liquidity crisis involving the company's founder and his investment advisory firm that allegedly precipitated Charge's bankruptcy.
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May 29, 2024
Celadon Execs Seek Toss Of TA Dispatch Chancery Suit
Former executives of now-defunct Celadon Group Inc. who sold its business assets a few months before the transport and logistics company went bankrupt told Delaware's Court of Chancery on Wednesday that a lawsuit from the disgruntled Alabama buyer should be dismissed because it lacks specifics and rehashes already-settled claims.
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May 29, 2024
Microsoft's Post-Merger Layoffs Cited In I-Told-You-So Appeal
A private group of gamers is pointing to Microsoft's recent layoffs of 1,900 Activision and XBox employees as evidence of market harms stemming from Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., as the group seeks to revive a private antitrust suit challenging the merger in the Ninth Circuit.
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May 29, 2024
TikTok Ban Gets Expedited Sept. Hearing Date At DC Circ.
The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday agreed to expedite the briefing schedule for a constitutional challenge against a federal law banning TikTok from the United States unless it severs its ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., with oral arguments set to be heard this fall.
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May 29, 2024
Handbag Cos. Seek FTC In-House Delay For Fed. Court Row
Tapestry and Capri are asking the Federal Trade Commission to delay an in-house challenge to the planned $8.5 billion merger combining the parent companies of Coach and Michael Kors, arguing the FTC's separate request for a preliminary injunction in New York federal court should take precedence.
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May 29, 2024
DOJ Requests More Info On $2.2B Employee Screening Deal
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested more information about employment screening company First Advantage Corp.'s planned $2.2 billion purchase of rival Sterling Check Corp., extending the review period for the merger.
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May 29, 2024
3 More Burns & Levinson Attys Join Blank Rome In Boston
Less than one month after Blank Rome LLP announced it had opened its Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, another three Burns & Levinson partners have joined the firm.
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May 29, 2024
Gibson Dunn, Skadden Guide $3B Merck-EyeBio Deal
Gibson Dunn-led Merck said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase ophthalmology-focused biotech company Eyebiotech Ltd., or EyeBio, which is represented by Skadden, for up to $3 billion.
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May 29, 2024
Womble Bond Adds Veteran Energy Transaction Atty In Mass.
An experienced corporate transactional attorney has moved stateside from Thailand to join Womble Bond Dickinson in Boston.
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May 29, 2024
3 Firms Build $627M Take-Private Sale Of Medical Device Biz
Medical device company Surmodics Inc. on Wednesday revealed it has agreed to be bought by private equity giant GTCR for $627 million in a take-private deal built by Kirkland & Ellis, Faegre Drinker and Cleary Gottlieb.
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May 29, 2024
Wachtell, Kirkland Steer $22.5B ConocoPhillips-Marathon Deal
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz-advised ConocoPhillips has agreed to acquire Marathon Oil, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in an all-stock transaction with an enterprise value of $22.5 billion, inclusive of $5.4 billion of debt, the companies said Wednesday.
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May 29, 2024
Royal Mail Owner Accepts £3.6B Bid From Czech Tycoon
The owner of Royal Mail, the British national postal service, said on Wednesday that it has agreed to a £3.57 billion ($4.52 billion) cash buyout offer by a conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.
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May 29, 2024
Anglo American Rejects Extension To £38.6B BHP Offer
British miner Anglo American PLC rejected a last-minute request from BHP Group to extend takeover talks on Wednesday, even though the Australian rival has offered concessions to help sweeten its latest offer of £38.6 billion ($49.3 billion).
Expert Analysis
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A Review Of 2023's Most Notable Securities Litigation
There is much to be learned from the most prominent private securities cases of 2023, specifically the Tesla trial, the U.S. Supreme Court's Slack decision and the resolution of Goldman Sachs litigation, but one lesson running through all of them is that there can be rewards at the end of the line for defendants willing to go the distance, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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4 Key Ways CFIUS Affected Private Equity In 2023
Sponsors and investment professionals should note how escalated enforcement by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in 2023 affected private equity deal making and evaluate their CFIUS-related procedures in preparation for the regulator's reach to expand further next year, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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UK Takeover Code Changes: Key Points For Bidders, Targets
Newly effective amendments to Rule 21 of the U.K. Takeover Code, which remove legal and administrative constraints on a target operating its business in the ordinary way during an offer, will add clarity for targets and bidders, and are likely to be welcomed by both, say lawyers at Davis Polk.
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7 Enforcement Predictions For US Export Controls, Sanctions
Federal agencies' assertions of coming increases in export-control and sanctions-violations enforcement are not new, but recent improvements in resources and inter-agency cooperation allow for certain predictions about how the administration’s latest approach to enforcement may be applied going forward, say attorneys at Akin.
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8 Ways To Negotiate Improved Disgorgement Outcomes
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's nearly $3.4 billion collected in disgorgements in 2023 shows that substantial disgorgement claims from regulators and law enforcement are the new norm, but corporations may be able to dramatically reduce what they owe by using eight strategies to argue for reduced net profit calculations, say experts at AlixPartners.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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What Banks Should Know About FDIC Assessment Rule
Max Bonici at Venable answers questions banking organizations may have about the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent approval of a rule implementing a special assessment on banks to recoup costs associated with protecting uninsured depositors after the bank failures earlier this year, and highlights other considerations for uninsured deposits.
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Series
Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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EU Rejection Of Booking.com Deal Veers From Past Practice
The European Commission's recent prohibition of Booking's purchase of Etraveli based on ecosystem theories of harm reveals a lower bar for prohibiting nonhorizontal mergers, and may mean increased merger scrutiny for companies with entrenched market positions in digital markets, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Mitigating Antitrust Risk Amid Increased Dealmaking Scrutiny
While deals continue to get done despite 60% of significant merger investigations in the U.S. last year concluding with a complaint or abandoned transaction, private equity firms should identify and assess potential antitrust risks and develop strategies to mitigate them early in the deal process, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Opinion
Activist Short-Sellers Are The Dark Knights Of Wall Street
While so-called activist short-sellers have been subject to increased scrutiny in recent years, these investors work in the shadows like Batman to expose fraud on Wall Street, often generating leads that may move regulators to take action, say attorneys at Labaton Sucharow.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.