Davis Polk, Skadden Steer LNG Exporter's $1.8B IPO

By Tom Zanki

Liquefied natural gas exporter Venture Global Inc. on Thursday priced an estimated $1.8 billion initial public offering within its downwardly revised range, represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and underwriters counsel Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

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Chinese Ride Co. Ordered To Produce Regulator Testimonies

By Sydney Price

A New York federal judge ordered Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc. to provide testimony about its interactions with Chinese regulators before its 2021 initial public offering, rejecting the company's claim that Chinese law prevents disclosure.

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AI Chatbot Co. CEO, Atty Spouse Indicted On $60M Fraud

By Jessica Corso

Federal prosecutors in California arrested the former CEO of an artificial intelligence company Thursday alongside his lawyer wife, accusing the duo of a $60 million fraud scheme in which they allegedly lied to investors about the company's financial state and diverted funds to pay for their wedding.

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Conn. High Court Snapshot: Atty's Bonus, Burn Verdict

By Brian Steele

In its next term starting Monday, the Connecticut Supreme Court will hear an appeal from an acupuncturist who doesn't want to share liability for a judgment paid to a burn victim, and consider whether to reverse a seven-figure verdict for a private equity management firm's founder, who claims other members improperly cut him out.

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Deals Rumor Mill

Spotless Brands' Sale Could Make Splash, And More Rumors

By Tom Zanki

Owners of Spotless Brands are seeking to sell the car-wash operator for $3 billion, while more overseas companies are preparing U.S. initial public offerings, including Chinese self-driving systems maker Inceptio Technologies and Israel-based cryptocurrency trading platform eToro. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.

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PayPal To Pay $2M To NY Regulator In Cybersecurity Deal

By Katryna Perera

PayPal agreed on Thursday to pay a $2 million fine to the New York State Department of Financial Services to resolve allegations that it failed to use qualified personnel to manage key cybersecurity functions and failed to provide proper training to address cybersecurity risks, resulting in sensitive customer information being vulnerable to hackers.

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Fla. Court Urged To OK $2.75M For Moving Co. Fraud Victims

By David Minsky

Two receivers appointed to recover funds in a moving company Ponzi scheme targeting the Haitian community urged a Florida federal court on Thursday to approve a first-round distribution of $2.75 million to refund losses, although the judge overseeing the case said the amount represents a fraction of what defrauded victims lost.

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SEC Rescinds Controversial Crypto Accounting Guidance

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rolled back its controversial cryptocurrency accounting guidance known as SAB 121 Thursday evening, hot on the heels of newly appointed acting Chairman Mark Uyeda's commitment to shifting the regulator toward setting clear guidelines for digital assets.

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Trump Forms Crypto Working Group To Create Fed. Framework

By Aislinn Keely

President Donald Trump took another step towards fulfilling his campaign promises to the cryptocurrency industry on Thursday with an executive order that directs regulators to get to work establishing a federal framework for digital assets and prohibits the creation of a central bank digital currency.

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Dems Cite 'Unprecedented Concerns' With Trump Memecoins

By Hailey Konnath

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jake Auchincloss have urged federal regulators to address "unprecedented concerns" associated with the recent launch of so-called memecoins associated with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, citing threats of consumer ripoffs, corruption and foreign influence.

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Jump Trading Says Ex-Worker Stole IP For Blockchain Startup

By Sydney Price

High-frequency trading firm and blockchain technology developer Jump Trading has filed a complaint seeking a preliminary injunction against a former software developer it claims is using Jump Trading's intellectual property to launch a competing project.

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SEC Cooled On New Crypto Cases During Gensler's Final Year

By Jessica Corso

Despite a brief rise in the number of lawsuits filed against the cryptocurrency industry in the final months that U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler was in office, the agency overall saw a 30% decrease in enforcement actions against the industry last year, according to a newly released report Thursday.

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UPS Penalty Demonstrates Goodwill Impairment Red Flags

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent $45 million penalty against UPS for withholding reports of goodwill impairment should warn investors to watch for the telltale signs of companies inflating their worth by delaying tests that would reveal similar declines in the value of intangible assets, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

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Series

Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

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Analysis

Companies Risk White House Wrath By Keeping DEI Programs

By Sarah Jarvis

For companies pushing forward with their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives amid a torrent of attacks from President Donald Trump and his allies, there are myriad potential risks ahead — and murky questions about the legal parameters of Trump's anti-DEI agenda.

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Law Students Scramble As Federal Gov't Yanks Job Offers

By Alison Knezevich

Law students across the country are scrambling to figure out their next steps after a range of federal agencies yanked job and internship offers this week because of the new hiring freeze imposed by the Trump administration.

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Mass Tort Atty Files Ch. 11 Owing $202M To Litigation Funders

By Hilary Russ

A Houston plaintiffs attorney has filed for personal Chapter 11 protection with more than $202 million of litigation funding liabilities, according to his petition in the Southern District of Texas.

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Feud Heats Up Over Estate Of Wife Killed By Ex-BigLaw Atty

By Emily Johnson

The godson of a Georgia woman killed by her husband, former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, has said her cousins shouldn't get proceeds from a settlement of an underlying wrongful death suit, calling them "strangers" to her and claiming "the redistributive windfall" they're asking for "has no place in Georgia law."

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Boston Firm Says IT Vendor Holding Computers 'Hostage'

By Julie Manganis

Boston-based law firm Melick & Porter LLP says a company it hired to manage its information technology is now holding its computer network and data "hostage" by refusing to cooperate with the transition to a new vendor unless Melick pays it $380,000.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Phillips Black Inc., Ridley McGreevy & Winocur PC and King & Spalding LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court revived claims from a woman on death row in Oklahoma that prosecutors unfairly sex-shamed her and relied on gender-based stereotypes to convince a jury that she had killed her estranged husband for insurance money.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

A new Law360 Pulse survey shows that more than 90% of in-house counsel have no regrets about their decisions to join companies. In litigation stemming from Purdue Pharma's sales of OxyContin that fueled the opioid crisis, the Sackler family would lose control of Purdue and pay $6.5 billion in the latest proposed settlement. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.​

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UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London has seen Axa Insurance and Admiral face a claim from a former lawyer recently exposed for personal injury fraud, the owner of Reading Football Club sue a prospective buyer and mobile network Lycamobile tackle action by Spanish network Yogio. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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