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Securities
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June 11, 2024
SEC Probing Autodesk After Accounting Practices Report
Autodesk Inc. said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the software corporation after it voluntarily contacted the regulatory body to inform it of the company's own internal investigation into its free cash flow and non-generally accepted accounting principles operating margin practices.
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June 11, 2024
AES Sued In Del. For 'Weaponized' Advance Notice Bylaws
Global utility and power company The AES Corp. has "weaponized" advance notice requirements in its bylaws to make it "unreasonably difficult, if not impossible," for stockholders to nominate candidates for the company's board, a stockholder has alleged in a new Delaware Court of Chancery suit.
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June 11, 2024
AI Hiring Platform's Ex-CEO Charged With $27M Fraud
The founder of hiring startup Joonko Diversity Inc. has been charged with fraud, with prosecutors saying Tuesday that she deceived investors into dumping $27 million into a platform that supposedly used artificial intelligence to help companies recruit diverse job candidates.
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June 11, 2024
FINRA Fines Brokerage TradeZero Over 'Finfluencer' Promos
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined broker-dealer TradeZero America Inc. $250,000 for allegedly failing to properly supervise its influencer partners, who promoted the firm on their social media accounts.
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June 11, 2024
Mattel Wants Out Of Suit Over Forfeited 401(k) Funds
Mattel urged a California federal court to throw out a lawsuit a former employee launched alleging the company should have used former workers' forfeited 401(k) funds to cover plan expenses, saying its decision to use that money to satisfy its own contributions is in line with federal benefits law.
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June 11, 2024
Retrial Begins In NJ Fraud Case Over COVID Test Kit Deal
The painstaking process of jury selection got underway Tuesday in the retrial of a securities fraud case that ended with a dramatic mistrial after a juror announced in open court that he disagreed with the guilty verdict that had just been delivered by the jury forewoman.
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June 11, 2024
Justices Urged To Review Fee Denial In DOL Stock Plan Case
A construction design firm is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its fight for attorney fees after beating an enforcement case brought by the U.S. Department of Labor alleging the company and its founders mismanaged an employee stock ownership plan, with the firm arguing the Ninth Circuit erred in siding with the DOL.
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June 11, 2024
SEC Asks For $1.1M Insider Trading Penalty For Ex-Apple Atty
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is again urging a New Jersey federal court to levy a roughly $1.1 million civil penalty on a former Apple Inc. senior attorney who already pled guilty and was sentenced for criminal charges related to a lucrative insider trading scheme.
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June 11, 2024
Uniswap Taps Coinbase Atty To Be CLO As SEC Fight Looms
The firm behind decentralized marketplace Uniswap has brought on a senior Coinbase attorney and seasoned litigator to helm its legal operations as it stares down a potential enforcement action from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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June 11, 2024
Dentons Hires Former In-House Compliance Chief In Indy
Dentons has brought on a seasoned corporate attorney with close to two decades of in-house and government experience as of counsel in the firm's Indianapolis office, focusing on transactional matters like contracts, corporate governance and securities law.
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June 11, 2024
Archegos Boss Got Angry Over Bathroom Breaks, Jury Told
A former protégé of Archegos founder Bill Hwang told the Manhattan federal jury hearing the $36 billion market distortion case against Hwang on Tuesday that his former boss was so hands-on that he would get mad when workers used the bathroom.
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June 11, 2024
Elon Musk Sued Anew In Del. Over $16B Tesla Stock Sale
A Tesla shareholder has hit Elon Musk with a lawsuit over his 2021 sale of $16 billion worth of stock just before his purchase of Twitter, claiming the billionaire profited by concealing his intent to buy the social media platform and made the purchase in part to reinstate former President Donald Trump's account.
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June 10, 2024
Voyager Crypto Investors Get Initial OK For $2.4M Deal
A Florida federal judge gave the first green light on Monday to a $2.4 million settlement reached between retired football star Rob Gronkowski, NBA player Victor Oladipo and NASCAR driver Landon Cassill and a class of Voyager Digital Holdings Inc. investors over claims that the men helped promote the failed cryptocurrency exchange.
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June 10, 2024
Gemini Says Jury Must Weigh Alleged 'Omissions,' Not Judge
Gemini Trust Co. has told a Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's claims that the crypto exchange omitted key information related to a proposed bitcoin futures contract isn't ripe for a pretrial decision because the claims involve "hotly disputed factual questions."
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June 10, 2024
Pension Fund Repays PBGC $8M In Excess Financial Aid
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that a pension provider for workers in graphic communications has paid back more than $8 million in excess funds it received through a financial assistance program administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.
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June 10, 2024
Fat Brands Faces Investor Suit Over $47M Loan Scheme
Fat Brands and its executives face a proposed class action in California federal court alleging that they falsely claimed to be cooperating with governmental probes into their CEO's spending $47 million on company loans while skirting taxes, leading stock prices to plunge last month when criminal charges were announced.
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June 10, 2024
Chancery Retains Most Healthcare Tech Merger Suit Claims
Nearly all the allegations of fraud, breach of contract and related claims lodged by healthcare technology venture Trifecta Multimedia Holdings Inc. against acquirer WCG Clinical Services have survived dismissal challenges and will move toward trial, a Delaware vice chancellor ruled Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Bloomberg's Utility Bond Changes Hurt Consumers, Suit Says
Bloomberg LP was hit with a proposed class action by California and Texas electricity customers who claim the company reclassified certain bonds issued by utility companies to elevate their perceived risk and hike interest rates, a move they say benefited institutional investors but imposed increased costs on electricity customers.
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June 10, 2024
Exxon Says Activist Investor Could Still Target Core Business
Exxon Mobil Corp. sought Monday to keep alive its lawsuit against Arjuna Capital LLC in Texas federal court, arguing that the activist investor could still work behind the scenes to submit climate-related shareholder proposals despite promises in court that it will not.
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June 10, 2024
Ill. Tool Maker Must Face Retirement Mismanagement Claims
An Illinois tool manufacturer must answer to accusations that it mishandled billions in employee retirement savings by allowing their plan to take on unreasonable recordkeeping fees and retaining underperforming funds, a federal judge said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
2nd Circ. Remands Malpractice Suit Against DLA Piper
The Second Circuit on Monday sent back to state court a Chinese smart car technology company's malpractice suit against DLA Piper that accused the firm of mishandling a shareholder suit, with the appeals court panel saying federal court does not have jurisdiction over the suit.
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June 10, 2024
Chinese Dissident's Banker Lied About Accounts, Jury Hears
The former head of banking for Miles Guo, the prominent Chinese dissident also known as Ho Wan Kwok, testified in Manhattan federal court Monday that he lied to financial institutions about a number of investment entities that are now the subject of $1 billion fraud charges.
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June 10, 2024
Conduent Buys Back $132M Of Shares From Carl Icahn
Business services provider Conduent Inc. on Monday agreed to repurchase $132 million of common stock from activist investor Carl Icahn, ending Ichahn's stock in the company through a deal guided by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Holland & Knight LLP.
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June 10, 2024
Prudential Financial Hit With Data Breach Suit In NJ
Prudential Financial Inc. faces a negligence suit alleging the company failed to protect the personal information of nearly 37,000 clients after it acknowledged that certain of its systems were compromised in a February hacking incident involving so-called social engineering.
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June 10, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Big players and big moves dominated much of the past week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, as Tesla in particular and big corporations in general showed their pique over rulings that went toward stockholders or against conventional expectations.
Expert Analysis
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Strategies For Navigating Compliance Monitorships
As independent compliance monitorships continue to be a favored tool of the government in resolving corporate enforcement matters, counsel should have a firm grasp on best practices for selecting a monitor, preparing the company and ensuring a productive relationship between the parties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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An Energy Industry Case Study In Expropriation Risk
Andrés Chambouleyron at Berkeley Research breaks down how expropriation risk and damage mitigation calculations vary considerably by different energy sources, and uses Argentina as a case study for how energy investors might protect their interests.
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At 'SEC Speaks,' A Focus On Rebuilding Trust Amid Criticism
At the Practising Law Institute's SEC Speaks conference last week, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership highlighted efforts to rebuild and restore trust in the U.S. capital markets by addressing investor concerns through regulatory measures and enforcement actions, emphasizing the need for cooperation from market participants, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Fla. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Early 2024 developments that could have a notable impact on Florida's finance community include progress on a bill that would substantially revise the state Securities and Investor Protection Act, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final rule capping late fees for larger credit card issuers, say Benjamin Weinberg and Megan Riley at Leon Cosgrove.
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Comparing Corporate Law In Delaware, Texas And Nevada
With Elon Musk's recent decision to reincorporate his companies outside of Delaware, and with more businesses increasingly considering Nevada and Texas as corporate homes, attorneys at Baker Botts look at each jurisdiction's foundation of corporate law, and how the differences can make each more or less appealing based on a corporation's needs.
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Management Incentives May Be Revisited After PE Investment
As the economic climate shifts, key parties in private equity investment transactions may become misaligned, and management incentive plans could become ineffective — so attentive boards may wish to caucus with management to evaluate continued alignment, say Austin Lilling and Nida Javaid at Morgan Lewis.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Calif. Verdict Showcases SEC's New 'Shadow Trading' Theory
Last week's insider trading verdict, delivered against biopharmaceutical executive Matthew Panuwat by a California federal jury, signals open season on a new area of regulatory enforcement enabled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shadow trading theory, say Perrie Weiner and Aaron Goodman at Baker McKenzie.
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Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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ESG Challenges In Focus After Sierra Club Opposes SEC Rule
The Sierra Club's recent objection to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosures for investors presents an unusual — pro-disclosure — legal challenge and an opportunity to take a close look at the varying critiques of ESG regulations, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.
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Opinion
High Court Should Settle Circuit Split On Risk Disclosures
The U.S. Supreme Court should grant the petition for writ of certiorari in the Facebook case to resolve a growing circuit split concerning when risk disclosures can be misleading under federal securities laws, and its decision should align with the intent of Congress and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Bankruptcy Courts' Role In Shaping Crypto's Legal Framework
Massive financial and criminal liability has led to the recent collapse of major cryptocurrency companies and put bankruptcy courts in the spotlight, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework, say Tara Pakrouh and Eric Monzo at Morris James.
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Private Capital Considerations Amid Market Revival
As improved market conditions position traditional financing to regain lost market share, it's also worth considering the pace and structure of private credit and other forms of private capital, especially when seeking to set unique terms or build new corporate relationships, say attorneys at Skadden.