Securities

  • February 05, 2025

    Blue Ridge Bankshares, Investors Reach $2.5M Deal

    Blue Ridge Bankshares Inc. and a proposed class of investors have reached a $2.5 million settlement to resolve claims that the multi-state bank holding company engaged in improper loan accounting practices.

  • February 05, 2025

    Paramount-Skydance Merger Block Sought Pending Del. Suit

    Five Paramount Global pension fund stockholders sought a preliminary injunction in Delaware late Wednesday seeking to block closing on the estimated $8 billion Paramount-Skydance Media merger pending a decision on a still-sealed Court of Chancery breach of fiduciary duty suit filed Tueday night.

  • February 05, 2025

    Catholic Investors Bring Smith & Wesson Suit To Fed. Court

    A group of Catholic sisters has refiled in federal court their suit accusing Smith & Wesson's directors and senior executives of placing their own "greed" and "political concerns" above the interests of the company and its stockholders by ignoring the liabilities of marketing AR-15 rifles that are used to perpetrate mass shootings.

  • February 05, 2025

    Schwab To Add Oversight To End TD Ameritrade Buy Suit

    The Charles Schwab Corp. has agreed to implement an antitrust compliance program designed by an independent consultant in order to settle claims from a proposed class of retail investors who alleged they were forced to pay increased transaction costs for trades following the Schwab-TD Ameritrade merger in 2020.

  • February 05, 2025

    EmpiresX Crypto Platform Operators Ordered To Pay $129M

    A Florida federal court has entered a default judgment against two Brazilian co-founders and the head trader of the EmpiresX trading platform, ordering them to pay more than $129 million for allegedly taking investor funds in a fraudulent commodity pool scheme and lying that their money wasn't used to trade cryptocurrencies.

  • February 05, 2025

    Wachtell, Skadden Guide Becton's Bid To Sell Diagnostics Biz

    Becton Dickinson and Co. has agreed to divest its biosciences and diagnostics unit in order to focus more resources on medical technology and maximize shareholder value, the company said on Wednesday.

  • February 05, 2025

    Judge Won't Pause Crowdfunding Case After Fraud Indictment

    A target of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's first crowdfunding enforcement action can't pause that three-year-old case to defend himself against unrelated charges that he ran a pump-and-dump scheme with a hallucinogenic mushroom company, a Michigan judge ruled Wednesday.

  • February 05, 2025

    Monolithic's Investors Say Co. Botched Nvidia Orders

    Power management component manufacturer Monolithic Power Systems Inc. has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging it hid critical defects in power modules used by its largest customer, Nvidia Corp., that led the artificial intelligence chipmaker to cancel orders, harming Monolithic's revenue.

  • February 05, 2025

    Crypto Expert Witness Ruling Flouts Precedent, Justices Told

    The founder of cryptocurrency service Tornado Cash has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to undo what he called an "unprecedented" order from a Manhattan federal judge to disclose whom he might call as an expert witness at his upcoming money laundering and sanctions-dodging trial.

  • February 05, 2025

    Judge Found 'Vertical' Mattress Deal Won't Hurt Competition

    U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge rejected the Federal Trade Commission's bid to pause Tempur Sealy's planned $5 billion purchase of Mattress Firm after finding a merger of the mattress supplier and retail chain would likely increase competition, if it has any impact at all.

  • February 05, 2025

    NJ Fraud Defendant Loses Bid To Toss 'Vindictive' Charges

    A New Jersey federal judge has rejected a bid by convicted fraudster Eliyahu Weinstein — who was later pardoned, and then charged again — to toss seven counts of a 17-count indictment on money laundering and other charges, reasoning that he and a co-defendant didn't show the new counts amounted to vindictive prosecution.

  • February 05, 2025

    Del. Justices Undo Insurance Cap Ruling In Alexion Suit

    Delaware's top court has reversed a Superior Court ruling that upheld Alexion Pharmaceuticals' claim to coverage under a $105 million "tower" of insurance for potential stockholder claims in a suit accusing the company of propping up share prices with misleading information.

  • February 05, 2025

    CVS Beats 2nd Investor Suit Over Omnicare Deal

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a second investor suit against CVS over its Omnicare acquisition in light of a 2022 First Circuit decision in a similar suit, saying the current action should be tossed because it suffers the same pleading fatalities as the case that went before the appeals court.

  • February 05, 2025

    Chancery Tosses Challenge To $1.1B Smart & Final Sale

    Writing that nothing in a "grab bag" of stockholder claims amounted to disclosure failures, Delaware's chancellor dismissed a suit challenging the $1.1 billion April 2019 sale of Smart & Final Stores Inc. — formerly controlled by funds of Ares Management Corp. — to interests of Apollo Global Management.

  • February 05, 2025

    SEC Moves Under Trump Risk 'Chilling' Staff, Grewal Says

    The reported scaling-back of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's crypto enforcement unit by the new Republican SEC majority could make staff at the agency more fearful of doing their jobs and put investors in jeopardy, former SEC enforcement director Gurbir Grewal said Wednesday.

  • February 05, 2025

    Latham Adds Ex-SEC Pro, GC To NY Roster

    The former acting director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement arm and a private capital specialist with in-house and private practice experience have come aboard Latham & Watkins LLP, the firm announced Wednesday, marking the latest in a flurry of lateral hires entering Latham's New York office since fall 2024.

  • February 05, 2025

    Paxos' Top Atty Takes CLO Spot At Crypto Co. Kraken

    Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has tapped the general counsel at crypto trust company Paxos to serve as its new chief legal officer.

  • February 04, 2025

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    February is off to a rip-roaring start in several circuits, and there's plenty more action ahead, including a moment of truth for judiciary policymaking that has managed to anger both the defense and plaintiffs bars. We'll explore all that in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing, which also includes an appellate quiz pegged to recent presidential news.

  • February 04, 2025

    Del. Judge Tells Fuel Cell Co. Investors To Filter Imprecise Suit

    A Delaware federal judge on Tuesday ruled that investors of hydrogen fuel cell company Plug Power Inc. must submit more particular details to support their allegation that shareholders were damaged by the company's failure to disclose production challenges, saying it is not the court's responsibility to filter out evidence.

  • February 04, 2025

    FINRA Fines Broker $3.2M Over Securities Lending Biz

    Broker-dealer Apex Clearing Corp. has agreed to pay the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority $3.2 million to end first-of-its-kind claims that the firm failed to abide by customer protection rules with its fully paid securities lending program, including by misrepresenting how it would compensate participants, leaving certain customers vulnerable to potential tax consequences.

  • February 04, 2025

    Calif. Partly Beats Challenge To Climate Disclosure Laws

    A California federal judge has trimmed a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups over the state's corporate climate disclosure rules, finding the groups failed to state a claim with respect to two causes of action.

  • February 04, 2025

    Wells Fargo Clears 2 More Consent Orders Amid Rehab Efforts

    The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that Wells Fargo & Co. has exited a pair of mortgage-related consent orders from more than a decade ago, another step forward in the banking giant's regulatory rehabilitation efforts.

  • February 04, 2025

    Sen. Banking Chair Sets 100-Day Dash For Crypto Legislation

    Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Tuesday that he intends to pass crypto legislation out of his chamber in the first 100 days of the new administration with the help of a working group composed of committee chairs in both chambers of Congress.

  • February 04, 2025

    Judge Explains Biogen Class Cert. Ruling After 1st Circ. Order

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday said he was reminded of a grade school lesson in long division as he explained his reasoning behind granting class certification and cutting short the class period in a suit against drugmaker Biogen Inc. on the orders of the First Circuit.

  • February 04, 2025

    Del. Justices Nix Fairness Ruling In TripAdvisor Nevada Move

    Citing in part aversion to "speculative litigation," Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed a ruling that kept in play potential stockholder damage claims in connection with the proposed reincorporation in Nevada of TripAdvisor and its parent, finding that business judgment deference should govern the court challenge.

Expert Analysis

  • Parsing SEC's Emerging Trend Of Section 204A Enforcement

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently settled with Sound Point Capital Management for violating Section 204A of the Investment Advisers Act, adding to a slew of charges against investment advisers that allegedly failed to safeguard material nonpublic information, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • SEC Rulemaking Radar: The View From Election Day

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seems poised to tackle many of the remaining items on its most recent Regulatory Flexibility Agenda by early 2025, despite the presidential election and the potential for a new chair to be nominated soon, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Why Secured Lenders Must Mind The Gap In UCC Searches

    Author Photo

    If not adequately addressed, the Uniform Commercial Code filing indexing gap can interfere with a lender's expected lien priority, but taking appropriate preclosing actions and properly timing searches can eliminate this risk, says Robert Wonneberger at Barclay Damon.

  • Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.

  • A Look At Grewal's Record-Breaking Legacy After SEC Exit

    Author Photo

    Gurbir Grewal resigned as director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement last month after more than three years on the job, leaving behind a legacy marked by record numbers of penalties and enforcement actions, as well as mixed results in aggressive lawsuits against major crypto players, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

    Author Photo

    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Insurance Industry Impacts If DOL Fiduciary Rule Is Revived

    Author Photo

    If implemented following an ongoing appeal at the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule expanding the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's definition of "fiduciary" could chill insurance agents’ and brokers' ability to sell annuities, and lead to an increase in breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

    Author Photo

    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • A Look At The Increased Scrutiny Of Cash Sweep Programs

    Author Photo

    Financial industry regulators have increasingly probed the adequacy of so-called cash sweep disclosures and policies, underscoring the heightened risk faced by investment advisers and broker-dealers, as well as the importance of adequately disclosing material conflicts of interest, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • Election Outcome Could Reshape Financial Industry

    Author Photo

    The policies of the next presidential administration and Congress will shape the landscape of financial services in the U.S. — including banking, mortgage, investment and credit services — for years to come, affecting Wall Street investors and aspiring homeowners alike, say Alexander Hecht and Frank Guinta at Mintz.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

    Author Photo

    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Bitnomial Suit Highlights Crypto Turf War Between SEC, CFTC

    Author Photo

    An outcome favoring Bitnomial in its recent lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could reinforce the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's authority and limit the SEC's reach in the crypto arena, illustrating the need for Congress to delineate boundaries between the agencies, says Tonya Evans at Penn State Dickinson Law.

  • Nvidia Case's Potential Impact On Securities Class Actions

    Author Photo

    In Nvidia v. Ohman Fonder, the U.S. Supreme Court could strip lower courts of their long-standing ability and obligation to holistically weigh all relevant facts supporting plaintiffs' allegations of securities fraud, which would have a wide-ranging impact on securities fraud class actions in the U.S., say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

    Author Photo

    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

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!