Securities

  • October 22, 2024

    MVP: Bernstein Litowitz's Jeroen van Kwawegen

    Jeroen van Kwawegen, head of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP's corporate governance practice, convinced a Delaware court to nullify Elon Musk's $55 billion Tesla compensation package and secured a historic $1 billion settlement for Wells Fargo investors, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Securities MVPs.

  • October 22, 2024

    Real Estate Exec Guilty Of $77M WeWork Stock Fraud

    A Manhattan federal jury on Tuesday convicted the former CEO of real estate investment firm Arciterra for trying to manipulate the price of WeWork stock via a $77 million tender offer on the cusp of the office-sharing company's bankruptcy filing in late 2023.

  • October 21, 2024

    EV Charging Co. Defeats Investor Suit Over Merger Statements

    A California federal judge on Monday threw out, for good, an investor suit accusing electric-vehicle charging company Volta Inc. of making false and misleading statements around the time of its merger, finding once again that the investors failed to show how the statements were actually false and misleading.

  • October 21, 2024

    $77M WeWork Bid Was Fraud 'From Beginning To End,' Jury Told

    New York federal prosecutors made their final pitch on Monday to jurors weighing the fate of the former CEO of real estate investment firm Arciterra accused of manipulating the market through a bogus $77 million tender offer to take control of WeWork, saying it was a sophisticated fraud and not a real play for control of the company.

  • October 21, 2024

    SEC To Focus On Advisers' Investment Outsourcing In '25

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission examiners are poised to generally stay the course with their exam priorities in the coming year, with a particular focus on investment advisers that outsource their investment functions, according to a report released Monday.

  • October 21, 2024

    NYSE, Cboe Win SEC Approval For Bitcoin ETP Options

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has given the New York Stock Exchange and Cboe Global Markets permission to list and trade options of certain bitcoin exchange-traded products, following the long-anticipated approval of the ETPs themselves at the start of this year.

  • October 21, 2024

    WisdomTree Will Pay $4M To End SEC ESG Fund Allegations

    WisdomTree Asset Management Inc. on Monday agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the adviser made misstatements concerning exchange-traded funds focused on environmental, social and governance causes.

  • October 21, 2024

    SEC, CFTC Chairs Talk Crypto, AI & Wall Street Texting Sweep

    The leaders of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission appeared before an audience of top financial professionals Monday to discuss the future of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence regulations and to defend against accusations that ongoing probes of brokers' use of off-channel communications were too harsh.

  • October 21, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive $500M Plunge Suit Against Wells Fargo

    The Second Circuit on Monday refused to revive a proposed class action accusing Wells Fargo of causing a Chicago fund manager to lose at least $500 million by wrongfully forcing the liquidation of its mutual fund and other investments, finding that the district court was correct in dismissing the suit entirely.

  • October 21, 2024

    Ontrak Jury Lacked Key Compliance Instruction, Judge Told

    Counsel for convicted Ontrak founder Terren Peizer urged a California federal judge Monday to grant a new trial in the healthcare executive's novel insider trading case, saying jurors weren't properly instructed that they should acquit if Peizer's $20 million share sale was blessed by a compliance officer.

  • October 21, 2024

    MVP: Simpson Thacher's Craig S. Waldman

    Craig Waldman of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP helped secure a ruling of first impression on behalf of Bumble Inc. that enabled the company to fight off an investor suit challenging its unique voting structure, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Securities MVPs.

  • October 18, 2024

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • October 18, 2024

    Carrier To Pay $615M Over Kidde-Fenwal Fire Foam Claims

    Carrier Global Corp. revealed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday that it will pay at least $615 million as part of a settlement in connection to its ownership of bankrupt Kidde-Fenwal Inc., which faces multidistrict litigation arising from its manufacture of firefighting foam with deadly "forever chemicals."

  • October 18, 2024

    Downstream Lumentum Tippee Settles SEC Claims For $443K

    A New Jersey man will pay nearly $443,000 to end the latest insider trading allegations made by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission involving the 2021 acquisition of photonics company NeoPhotonics by optical product maker Lumentum Holdings Inc.

  • October 18, 2024

    How Dickinson Wright Attys Won A Victory Before The SEC

    It took more than four years and possibly an alleged slip-up by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement staff for Dickinson Wright PLLC attorneys to secure what they said is a first-of-its-kind ruling by the agency when it reversed a trading suspension against a firm client over the objections of the SEC's own staff.

  • October 18, 2024

    Consultant Ducks Prison For Helping OneCoin Launder $35M

    A New York federal judge declined on Friday to sentence a co-founder of business consultancy and investment firm InterAmerican Group to any time in prison for his role in a scheme to launder about $35 million in proceeds from the multibillion-dollar OneCoin cryptocurrency scam.

  • October 18, 2024

    Consumer Capital One-Discover Suit Paused For Gov't Review

    A Virginia federal judge hit pause Friday on a private cardholder proposed class action challenging Capital One's planned $35 billion acquisition of Discover Financial Services, agreeing with the companies that it's best to let still-pending review by banking regulators play out first.

  • October 18, 2024

    SEC Updates Binance Complaint As Judge Limits Discovery

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has updated its case against Binance with new allegations attempting to draw similarities between the crypto exchange and traditional securities platforms, but a Washington, D.C., federal judge made clear that discovery on those points and others won't move forward for the time being.

  • October 18, 2024

    Chancery Keeps Better Therapeutics SPAC Suit Alive

    A Delaware vice chancellor on Friday refused to dismiss a suit challenging the take-public merger of now-defunct Better Therapeutics, saying the investors have sufficiently pleaded direct breach of fiduciary duty claims against the medical technology business' special purpose acquisition company partner and its directors.

  • October 18, 2024

    US Fights PetroSaudi Bid To Limit $380M Seizure

    The U.S. on Friday slammed a PetroSaudi company's request for a California federal court to clarify that officials can only seize 5% of a $380 million award, calling the request an improper attempt at revisiting a 3-year-old court ruling.

  • October 18, 2024

    Hong Kong Regulators Unveil Plans To Quicken IPOs

    Hong Kong regulators and stock exchange officials announced a plan on Friday to accelerate their time frames for reviewing initial public offerings, a bid to improve the region's attractiveness for new listings amid intense global competition.

  • October 18, 2024

    Credit Suisse, PwC Fight Bondholders' Separate Merger Suits

    Credit Suisse and PwC have urged a New York federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging that they concealed the impact of quarterly losses and the bank's inability to retain client funds leading up to its takeover by UBS AG, saying the plaintiff launched the suit to circumvent its rejected bid to be lead plaintiff in a similar suit.

  • October 18, 2024

    Weedmaps' Parent Co. Faces Investor Suit After SEC Fine

    The parent company of cannabis tech company Weedmaps was hit with an investor's proposed class action alleging shareholders were damaged following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's announcement that it fined the company $1.5 million for allegedly making misleading statements about its monthly active users.

  • October 18, 2024

    Crypto Coder Asks 2nd Circ. To Delay Expert Witness Reveal

    The founder of cryptocurrency service provider Tornado Cash urged the Second Circuit on Friday to pause a district court judge's order for him to disclose who he might call as an expert witness at an upcoming money laundering and sanctions trial.

  • October 18, 2024

    Paramount-Skydance Merger Triggers Class Atty Fight In Del.

    A five-firm stockholder attorney team investigating the proposed $7 billion Paramount Global-Skydance Media LLC merger has urged Delaware's Court of Chancery to put the brakes on another firm's motion for co-lead plaintiff appointment for a deal challenge, arguing that the move would reward a rush to the courthouse.

Expert Analysis

  • Integrating ESG Into Risk Management Programs

    Author Photo

    Amid increasing regulations and reporting requirements for corporate sustainability in the European Union and the U.S., companies might consider how to incorporate environmental, social and governance factors into more formalized risk management, say directors at Alvarez & Marsal.

  • What The SEC Liquidity Risk Management Amendments Entail

    Author Photo

    Fund managers should be cognizant of the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission's recent changes to certain reporting requirements and guidance related to open-end fund liquidity risk management programs, and update their filing systems if need be, says Rachael Schwartz at Sullivan & Worcester.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

    Author Photo

    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Calif. Bill, NTIA Report Illustrate Open-Model AI Safety Debate

    Author Photo

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s balanced recommendations for preventing misuse of open artificial intelligence models, contrasted with a more aggressive California bill, demonstrate an evolving regulatory debate about balancing democratic access to this powerful new technology against potential risks to the public, say Stuart Meyer and Fredrick Tsang at Fenwick.

  • 5 Lessons From Consulting Firm's Successful DOJ Disclosure

    Author Photo

    The Boston Consulting Group recently received a rare declination of prosecution from the U.S. Department of Justice after self-disclosing a foreign bribery scheme, and the firm’s series of savvy steps after discovering the misconduct provides useful data points for white collar defense attorneys, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • 'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG

    Author Photo

    A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.

  • 7 Takeaways For Investment Advisers From FinCEN AML Rule

    Author Photo

    With a new FinCEN rule that will require covered investment advisers to implement anti-money laundering programs and comply with extra recordkeeping requirements by 2026, companies should begin planning necessary updates to their policies and procedures by focusing on seven of the rule’s key requirements, identified by attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Del. Dispatch: Drafting Lessons For Earnout Provisions

    Author Photo

    The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Medal v. Beckett Collectibles provides guidance for avoiding ambiguity in provisions relating to the acceleration of earnout payments under specified circumstances, and provisions mandating good faith negotiations before bringing earnout litigation, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • What VC Fund Settlement Means For DEI Grant Programs

    Author Photo

    An unexpected settlement in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Fearless Fund, based on specific details of an Atlanta venture capital fund's challenged minority grant program, leaves the legal landscape wide open for organizations with similar programs supporting diversity, equity and inclusion to chart a path forward, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Missouri Injunction A Setback For State Anti-ESG Rules

    Author Photo

    A Missouri federal court’s recent order enjoining the state’s anti-ESG rules comes amid actions by state legislatures to revise or invalidate similar legislation imposing disclosure and consent requirements around environmental, social and governance investing, and could be a blueprint for future challenges, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • New Lessons On Managing Earnout Provision Risks

    Author Photo

    Earnout provisions can be a useful tool for bridging valuation gaps in M&A, particularly in developmental-stage pharmaceutical transactions, but the Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Shareholder Representative Services v. Alexion sheds new light on the inherent risks and best practices for managing them, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

    Author Photo

    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

    Author Photo

    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Increased IPOs In '24 Shows Importance Of Strategic Planning

    Author Photo

    Initial public offerings, debt issuances and M&A activity so far in 2024 have shown substantial increases over comparable periods in 2023, highlighting why counsel should educate clients on market trends and financing alternatives to proactively prepare them to be ready to take advantage of opportunities, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

    Author Photo

    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Securities archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!