Securities

February 26, 2025
SEC Wants To Pause Fraud Suit Against Tron Founder

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday asked a New York federal court to pause its fraud suit against the founder of blockchain network Tron Foundation, joining the growing list of cryptocurrency cases being abandoned or sidelined under the new Trump administration.
February 26, 2025
Snap Investors End Derivative Suit Over Apple Privacy Change

Executives and directors of Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. have escaped a consolidated shareholder derivative suit alleging the social media company failed to warn investors about the impact that certain iPhone privacy changes would have on its advertising revenue, with a judge signing off on a voluntary dismissal order.
February 26, 2025
Matterport Tells Del. Justices Ex-CEO Cash-Out Rulings Flawed

An attorney for 3-D building imaging company Matterport Inc. and an affiliate told Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday that the Court of Chancery relied on a "shockingly expansive" definition of the phrase "immediately following" in a decision that ultimately added $79 million to a former CEO's postmerger cash-out after Matterport's go-public sale.
February 26, 2025
Trump Orders Fed Agencies To Plan For Large Layoffs

The White House is telling federal agencies to submit plans for "large-scale" layoffs by mid-March, accusing them of siphoning funding for "unproductive and unnecessary programs" and "not producing results for the American public."
February 26, 2025
Supply Chain Software Co. Sued Over Bad Revenue Guidance

Supply chain software co. Manhattan Associates Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court by shareholders claiming the company misled them about its expected revenue and ability to increase its professional service offerings, causing a stock price decline.
February 26, 2025
NJ Tech Co. Misled Investors On NASA Partnership, Suit Says

Computer chip manufacturer Quantum Computing Inc. was hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging it overhyped its business relationships, including its partnership with NASA, and lied about its revenues and the progress it made in building a foundry.
February 26, 2025
Trump CFTC Shifts Enforcement Stance From Stick To Carrot

In a sign that it is backing off a more aggressive tone on enforcement during the second Trump administration, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has provided what it says is first-of-its-kind guidance on how much money regulated entities can expect to save for cooperating with agency investigations.
February 26, 2025
Trump Order May Affect Trader's FCPA Conviction, DOJ Says

Federal prosecutors say an oil trader from Connecticut should not win his bid to undo his overseas bribery conviction, but noted that the case's future is uncertain given President Donald Trump's executive order pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases.
February 26, 2025
Ex-CFTC Chair Says Congress 'Can Do Better' On Stablecoins

Senate Democrats questioned the consumer protection provisions included in recently proposed stablecoin legislation at a Wednesday digital asset subcommittee hearing, which saw a former U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair argue that lawmakers "can do a lot better" than the existing proposals.
February 26, 2025
NY Investment Firm Founder Charged With $4M Fraud

The founder of investment firm Never Alone Capital LLC was hit with parallel criminal and civil suits on Wednesday from the Manhattan district attorney and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging he ran a fraudulent scheme that raised approximately $4 million from investors, most of which he then misappropriated for personal use.
February 26, 2025
Aramark, Spinoff Co. Want 'Fraud By Hindsight' Suit Tossed

Aramark and a uniform supplier spinoff company asked a Georgia federal judge Tuesday to dismiss claims that it intentionally lied to investors about chronic underfunding of the business, accusing a union pension fund of "using a pleading tactic universally condemned by the courts: fraud by hindsight."
February 26, 2025
2nd Circ. Won't Revive Federal Claims In Uniswap Crypto Suit

The Second Circuit affirmed Wednesday that Uniswap Labs and its venture capital backers can't be held liable under federal securities law for the sale of so-called scam tokens on the decentralized Uniswap exchange, but directed the New York federal judge who tossed the buyers' suit to take another look at their state law claims.
February 26, 2025
GOP-Led House Panel Pushes Easier Rules On Capital Raising

A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee invited input Wednesday on a slew of deregulatory bills that seek to ease rules governing private and public securities offerings, drawing plaudits from the Republican majority and mixed responses from Democrats.
February 26, 2025
US Chamber Wants Calif. Climate Disclosure Regs Blocked

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have asked a California federal judge to block the state's corporate climate disclosure rules, arguing companies are already suffering harm due to laws that are "so overinclusive, they flunk any First Amendment test."
February 26, 2025
Top Dem Urges Trump To Leave Independent Agencies Alone

The top Democrat on the House Administration Committee urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to rescind his executive order seeking to assert more control over independent agencies, which the congressman says is an "unprecedented violation" of law.
February 26, 2025
JPMorgan Paying For Lawyers On Both Sides Of Javice Trial

JPMorgan Chase, the bank allegedly duped by Frank founder Charlie Javice into paying $175 million for her education startup, is paying legal fees for defense counsel as well as for lawyers representing prosecution witnesses, according to statements in court Wednesday.
February 26, 2025
Bradley Arant Hires SEC Enforcement Trial Atty In DC

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has hired a government investigations partner in Washington, D.C., with more than a decade of experience at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission prosecuting and probing a range of fraud.
February 25, 2025
FBI Came For Abramoff Asking About Russian Spy-Linked Pal

Disgraced lobbyist and government witness Jack Abramoff told jurors Tuesday during his cross-examination at the fraud trial of a cryptocurrency company founder he worked for that the FBI initially approached him in 2018 with questions about his connection to a conservative operative once linked to a Russian agent.
February 25, 2025
DC Judge Blocks Trump's Federal Funding Freeze

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing a federal spending freeze while a group of nonprofits challenge the freeze, calling the measure "ill-conceived from the beginning."
February 25, 2025
Binance Can't Evade Terror Victims' Suit, But It's Trimmed

The New York federal judge overseeing Hamas attack survivors' claims against Binance and its former CEO said on Tuesday that the defendants can't dodge the suit claiming they aided terrorist groups on a jurisdictional basis, but said some of the plaintiffs are not closely related enough to the victims to bring claims under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
February 25, 2025
Block Considers NY Settlement Over Money-Laundering Curbs

Block Inc., the parent company of the peer-to-peer mobile payments platform Cash App and payments platform Square, is working to resolve allegations from New York state's financial regulator touching on its compliance with money-laundering restrictions, the company says.
February 25, 2025
Horse-Racing Co.'s 'Unregistered' NFTs Cost Gains, Suit Says

A nonfungible token project that once allowed users to invest in virtual versions of real-life racehorses is caught in a proposed class action from an investor who alleges that "Game of Silks" failed to register its tokens as securities and disclose key information to buyers before it collapsed.
February 25, 2025
Primary Sponsor Of Del.'s Corporate Law Rework Defends Bill

Delaware Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend cited the "urgency of the moment" Tuesday during an interview with Law360 on fast-tracking proposed amendments to the state's General Corporation Law, aimed at increasing protections from liability for directors, officers and controlling stockholders in an effort to stem a feared corporate exodus from The First State.
February 25, 2025
SEC Reaffirms Defense Of Market Surveillance Tool

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has said it is not done defending the existence of a controversial market surveillance tool despite the agency's recent curtailment of the types of information it collects.
February 25, 2025
Another Crypto Co. Says SEC Inquiry Ends Without Action

Decentralized finance platform Uniswap Labs announced Tuesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission closed its multi-year investigation into the firm, marking the latest crypto business to claim the regulator is walking away without taking action.

Expert Analysis

Series

Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
Takeaways From SEC's Mixed Results In '24 Crypto Litigation

Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new leadership seems likely to create a more favorable cryptocurrency regulatory environment, it must also confront the consequences of, and lingering questions raised by, the SEC's 2024 policy of investigating and charging cryptocurrency trading platforms for operating unregistered exchanges, say attorneys at Dechert.
Predicting What's Next For SEC By Looking At Past Dissents

While Paul Atkins' nomination to be the next chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken center stage, an analysis of Republican Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda's past votes and dissents provides a preview of where enforcement may shift in the new administration, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
What 2024's Noncompete Turmoil Means For Banks In 2025

A look back at the most significant legal challenges to the enforceability of various restrictive covenants like noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements in 2024 can help financial institutions address the use of these critical tools this year, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
Opinion

3 New Year's Resolutions For Antitrust Agencies To Consider

James Fredricks at Skadden rings in 2025 with his wish list for the federal antitrust agencies, starting with a provision for a presumptive safe harbor for information sharing.
New Year, New Risks: 8 Top Cyber Issues For Finance In 2025

As financial institutions forge ahead in 2025, they must strike a delicate balance between embracing technological innovation and guarding against its darker threats, which this year could include everything from supply chain vulnerabilities to deepfakes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
FTC Focus: A Changing Of The Guard

While rigorous antitrust enforcement is unlikely to slow down at the Federal Trade Commission, the focus will undoubtedly change, including when it comes to Big Tech, as Andrew Ferguson prepares to take the reins from Chair Lina Khan, say attorneys at Proskauer.
5th Circ.'s Nasdaq Ruling Another Piece In DEI Policy Puzzle

The Fifth Circuit's recent en banc opinion vacating Nasdaq's board diversity listing rule wades into the hotly debated topic of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at a time when many public companies are navigating the attention that DEI commitments are drawing from activists and shareholders, say attorneys at Debevoise.
8 Trends And Predictions Following PE's Late 2024 Surge

Private equity will remain at the forefront of value creation in 2025, and anticipated market trends include sponsors' desire to return capital to investors and a more business-friendly tack by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, say attorneys at Weil.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
Lessons From The SEC's 2024 Crackdown On AI Washing

AI washing was the subject of increased scrutiny from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024 following a surge in the commercial adoption of generative artificial intelligence technologies in 2023, highlighting the importance of transparency, accuracy and accountability when communicating about AI, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024

From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.
An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
The Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2025

2025 is shaping up to be a significant year for securities litigation, as plaintiffs and defendants alike navigate shifting standards for omission theories of liability, class certification, risk disclosure claims and more, say attorneys at Willkie.