Securities

  • June 20, 2024

    PPG Sues Westlake In Delaware Over $707M Brazil Liability

    Pittsburgh global paint supplier PPG Industries Inc. has sued chemical supplier Westlake Corp. in Delaware's Court of Chancery, accusing Westlake of breaching a 2012 agreement to accept liabilities related to a cargo ship fire that happened off the coast of Brazil in 1998.

  • June 20, 2024

    Dickinson Wright Brings On McDermott, Bell Nunnally Attys

    Dickinson Wright PLLC added a pair of new members who include a commercial finance and real estate attorney from Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP based in Austin, Texas, and a tax and incentives attorney from McDermott Will & Emery LLP in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

  • June 18, 2024

    Qualcomm Investors Ink $75M Deal Over Licensing Practices

    Qualcomm Inc. investors asked a California federal judge to greenlight a $75 million settlement that would resolve their claims that the chipmaker misled the market by stating it kept its licensing and chip-supply businesses separate when it regularly bundled the two in negotiations and agreements.

  • June 18, 2024

    RR Donnelley Pays $2.1M To Settle SEC Claims Over Hack

    Marketing and communications giant R.R. Donnelley & Sons has reached a deal with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission to pay over $2.1 million to settle claims over a 2021 cybersecurity incident that stemmed from poor internal controls and disclosure failures, the agency announced Tuesday.

  • June 18, 2024

    9 Firms Vie To Lead Suit Over Ad Tech Co.'s Microsoft Ties

    Pomerantz LLP, Levi & Korsinsky LLP and several other firms have filed competing bids to lead a proposed shareholder class action alleging that shares of ad tech company Perion Network declined nearly 40% after its strategic partner Microsoft Bing "unilaterally" changed its search advertising pricing.

  • June 18, 2024

    SEC's Ether Orders Spur Hope For Crypto, Caution From Attys

    The crypto industry received a step toward clarity when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's approval of exchange-traded products holding the token ether signified the cryptocurrency isn't a security subject to SEC regulation, but attorneys say they remain cautious when counseling clients on how to deal in the asset.

  • June 18, 2024

    Del. House Panel Splits On Senate-Passed Corp. Law Change

    A divided Delaware House committee released on Tuesday contested amendments to the state's general corporation law, sending the measure toward a full House vote after sometimes edgy testimony that included a committee chair's shutdown of an opposing law professor's reference to HBO's seamy corporate drama series "Succession."

  • June 18, 2024

    CFTC Awards $8M To Whistleblower Behind Multiple Actions

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has announced it awarded more than $8 million to an insider whistleblower who the agency said provided significant information that led to multiple enforcement actions from multiple agencies.

  • June 18, 2024

    Crypto Firm Latinum Can't Arbitrate Investors' Fraud Suit

    A Michigan federal judge discerned that crypto firm Bitcoin Latinum can't send claims it duped investors out of promised digital assets to arbitration considering it didn't raise the issue in the two years since the suit was brought.

  • June 18, 2024

    Fed Should Vote Now On Basel Capital Hike Plan, Warren Says

    U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has accused Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell of "doing the bank industry's bidding" as federal regulators look to back off of significant proposed increases to big-bank capital requirements, saying he should instead put those increases to a board vote by the end of June.

  • June 18, 2024

    Sterling Bank Ex-CEO Won't Face Charges Over Loan Program

    The founder and former CEO of Sterling Bank and Trust, who has been investigated in connection with a fraud-plagued loan program, will not face criminal charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Michigan federal court documents filed Monday.

  • June 18, 2024

    Archegos Trader Doubles Down On Hwang Accusations

    A former protégé of Archegos founder Bill Hwang told New York federal jurors Tuesday that the hedge fund boss directed manipulative and improper trading, pushing back on insinuations by Hwang's counsel that the trades were above-board.

  • June 18, 2024

    Social Media Stock Promoter Beats Trader's Suit For Good

    A Texas federal judge has tossed a suit from a stock trader alleging a social media stock promoter artificially drove up share prices, saying the promoter did not have any duty to disclose to the trader his plans to sell the shares.

  • June 18, 2024

    MoFo Brings On SEC Veteran From Skadden In DC

    Morrison Foerster LLP has expanded its public company advisory and governance offerings in Washington, D.C., with the addition of an attorney from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

  • June 18, 2024

    Musk Pay Claims Still Alive After Texas Vote, Chancery Told

    Attorneys for Tesla stockholders who won a Court of Chancery order voiding CEO Elon Musk's mammoth stock-based compensation plan in January are rejecting as having no legal effect a vote last week to ratify the same 10-year package, once valued at $56 billion.

  • June 18, 2024

    Cooley Adds Ex-Kirkland Global Fund Formation Atty In NY

    Cooley LLP has expanded its fund formation practice with the addition of an experienced fund formation attorney who previously worked at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and founded a venture advisory group for asset managers.

  • June 18, 2024

    Foley Hoag Hires Former DOJ Fraud Section Deputy

    Foley Hoag LLP has hired a former deputy chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's Fraud Section, who will work with the firm's white collar crime and government investigations practice in Washington, D.C.

  • June 17, 2024

    PennyMac 'Shocked' Investors With Post-Libor Fix, Suit Says

    PennyMac's mortgage investment arm has been hit in California federal court with a proposed class action accusing it of using last year's discontinuation of Libor to unfairly and unlawfully lock in a lower dividend for some of its preferred stock, stiffing investors out of millions.

  • June 17, 2024

    Investor Seeks Del. Anti-Suit Shield, Alleging Brazil Co. Threat

    A Mexico City resident who invested in a Delaware limited partnership group that builds telecommunication towers in Brazil on Monday petitioned Delaware's Court of Chancery for an anti-suit injunction, citing a defamation lawsuit threat made after he inquired about going concern risk reports.

  • June 17, 2024

    Ex-CNBC Pundit Caught After Years Of Dodging Fraud Claims

    A former frequent CNBC guest who became a fugitive for nearly three years after being accused of defrauding investors has been arrested and faces a seven-count indictment, California federal prosecutors said Monday.

  • June 17, 2024

    Tesla Says Texas Charter, Musk Pay Have Impact In Delaware

    Pointing to recent Tesla stockholder votes to reincorporate in Texas and approve a mammoth Elon Musk pay package voided in Delaware, an attorney for Tesla has asked the Court of Chancery to reconsider holding a July 8 hearing on a proposed multibillion fee for class attorneys who won the Musk salary put-down.

  • June 17, 2024

    SEC Alleges Texas Man Offered Virgin Sham $200M 'Lifeline'

    Securities regulators sued a venture capitalist and his investment firm in Texas federal court Monday, accusing the firm of making a bogus offer to invest $200 million into Virgin Orbit last year despite having less than $1 in its bank account and causing stock prices to swell before plummeting when the deal collapsed.

  • June 17, 2024

    DOJ Wants 15 Years For Outcome CEO's $1B Fraud

    Federal prosecutors said former Outcome Health CEO Rishi Shah should serve 15 years in prison while Outcome's co-founder and ex-financial chief each serve 10 years following their convictions for running a $1 billion fraud that affected lenders, investors and clients.

  • June 17, 2024

    SEC Fines Unlicensed Brokers $2.7M In Microcap Stock Case

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ordered two unlicensed brokers, including one from Florida, to collectively pay a $2.7 million fine for allegedly scamming elderly people into buying microcap shares in companies and lying that the stock was being offered to them at a discount.

  • June 17, 2024

    Ex-Stimwave CEO Gets 6 Years For Dummy Implant Scheme

    The founder and former CEO of Stimwave Technologies was sentenced to six years in prison Monday after tearfully proclaiming her innocence to healthcare fraud charges, with a Manhattan federal judge saying it's "sad" the defendant doesn't recognize the harm she inflicted by selling nonfunctional pain management device components.

Expert Analysis

  • SEC Off-Channel Comms Action Hints At Future Enforcement

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    Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent enforcement action against Senvest does not shed light on how the agency will calibrate penalties related to off-channel communications violations, it does suggest that we may see more cases against standalone investment advisers, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Chancery's Carvana Suit Toss Shows Special Committee Value

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent dismissal of a stockholder complaint against Carvana illustrates how special litigation committees can be a powerful tool for boards to regain control after litigation alleging a breach of fiduciary duty, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 7th Circ. Mootness Fee Case May Curb Frivolous Merger Suits

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    On April 15, the Seventh Circuit in Jorge Alcarez v. Akorn Inc. mapped out a framework for courts to consider mootness fees paid to individual shareholders after the voluntary dismissal of a challenge to a public company merger, which could encourage objections to mootness fees and reduce the number of frivolous merger challenges filed, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What 3rd Circ. Trust Ruling Means For Securitization Market

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    Mercedes Tunstall and Michael Gambro at Cadwalader break down the Third Circuit's March decision in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. National Collegiate Master Student Loan Trust, as well as predict next steps in the litigation and the implications of the decision for servicers and the securitization industry as a whole.

  • Tips For Balanced Board Oversight After A Cyberincident

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity disclosure rules, as well as recent regulatory enforcement actions bringing board governance under scrutiny, continue to push boards toward active engagement in relation to their cyber-oversight role, despite it being unclear what a board's level of involvement should be, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Breaking Down DOJ's Individual Self-Disclosure Pilot Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently announced pilot program aims to incentivize individuals to voluntarily self-disclose corporate misconduct they were personally involved in, complementing a new whistleblower pilot program for individuals not involved in misconduct as well as the government's broader corporate enforcement approach, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Reverse Veil-Piercing Ruling Will Help Judgment Creditors

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    A New York federal court’s recent decision in Citibank v. Aralpa Holdings, finding two corporate entities liable for a judgment issued against a Mexican businessman, shows the value of reverse veil piercing as a remedy for judgment creditors to go after sophisticated debtors who squirrel away assets, says Gabe Bluestone at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Address Complainants Before They Become Whistleblowers

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    A New York federal court's dismissal of a whistleblower retaliation claim against HSBC Securities last month indicates that ignored complaints to management combined with financial incentives from regulators create the perfect conditions for a concerned and disgruntled employee to make the jump to federal whistleblower, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Ensuring Nonpublic Info Stays Private Amid SEC Crackdown

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    Companies and individuals must take steps to ensure material nonpublic information remains confidential while working outside the office, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission continues to take enforcement actions against those who trade on MNPI and don't comply with new off-channel communications rules in the remote work era, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • What Cos. Are Reporting Under New SEC Cybersecurity Rule

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    Four months after its effective date, 14 companies have made disclosures under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting rule, and some early trends are emerging, including a possible rush to file, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 10 Tips For ESG Disclosure Compliance In Private Funds

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As regulators increase scrutiny of misleading claims about environmental, social and governance investments, private fund sponsors should consider several practical tips for communicating accurately with potential investors, drafting comprehensive disclosures and establishing internal policies that can keep pace with evolving compliance requirements, says Jonathan Rash at Ropes & Gray.

  • Binance Ruling Spotlights Muddled Post-Morrison Landscape

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Williams v. Binance highlights the judiciary's struggle to apply the U.S. Supreme Court's Morrison v. National Australia Bank ruling to digital assets, and illustrates how Morrison's territorial limits on the federal securities laws have become convoluted, say Andrew Rhys Davies and Jessica Lewis at WilmerHale.

  • What FERC's Disclosure Demands Mean For Cos., Investors

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    Two recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reflect the commission's increasingly meticulous approach to reviewing corporate structures in applications for approval of proposed consolidations, acquisitions or changes in control — putting the onus on the regulated community to track and comply with ever-more-burdensome disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Willkie.

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