Securities

  • October 03, 2024

    Feds Want A Word In Meta, Nvidia High Court Cases

    The federal government is asking to participate in oral arguments in two private investor suits currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that both Meta Platforms Inc. and Nvidia Corp. are wrong about the requirements that shareholders need to meet in order to move forward with lawsuits claiming they were misled about business risks.

  • October 03, 2024

    Hecla Avoids Investor Suit Over $462M Gold Mine Buy

    A gold mining operation secured the permanent dismissal of an investor suit alleging that $462 million in new mines the company bought in Nevada that were supposed to be lucrative turned out to be duds, with a New York federal judge finding the investors failed to plead any actionable false or misleading statements.

  • October 03, 2024

    Symbotic's Top Brass Hid Risks To Earnings Goals, Suit Says

    Symbotic investors sued the supply chain automation company's board of directors and top executives for allegedly downplaying risks in achieving the aggressive financial goals it promised shareholders.

  • October 03, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Barry Diller From Match.com Class Suit

    Media mogul Barry Diller escaped for a second time a Delaware Court of Chancery stockholder challenge to Match.com's $30 billion reverse spinoff from IAC Interactive, in a post-U.S. Supreme Court remand decision that also kept alive related, previously dismissed claims against five allegedly Diller-loyal "dual fiduciaries."

  • October 03, 2024

    Cole Schotz Adds Potter Anderson Corporate Partner In Del.

    Cole Schotz PC has added a corporate member with 16 years of Delaware-focused corporate advisory and transactional experience.

  • October 02, 2024

    EXp Investors Accuse Execs Of Ignoring Sex Assault Culture

    Shareholders of eXp World Holdings Inc. have hit the real estate brokerage company's top-brass with a derivative lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court Wednesday, claiming they intentionally ignored repeated reports that its top "influencers" were drugging and sexually assaulting real estate agents at company events, thereby exposing the company to millions in liabilities.

  • October 02, 2024

    Freshworks Can't End Investors' IPO Disclosure Suit

    A California federal judge has told software company Freshworks it cannot escape a proposed investor class action alleging it omitted information from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings when it made its initial public offering, saying the court cannot currently decide if its alleged omissions damaged investors.

  • October 02, 2024

    Former C-Quest Capital CEO Indicted For Carbon Credit Fraud

    Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday announced criminal charges against Kenneth Newcombe, the former chief executive officer of carbon project developer C-Quest Capital, accusing him of scheming to submit altered data relating to cookstove projects abroad to obtain millions of dollars worth of carbon credits.

  • October 02, 2024

    Coinbase Seeks CFTC Docs To Defend SEC Enforcement Case

    Coinbase has asked a Washington, D.C., federal court to direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to produce communications the regulator may have had with certain digital asset issuers as the cryptocurrency exchange prepares to defend registration claims from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in New York.

  • October 02, 2024

    SEC Plans To Appeal Ripple Labs Decision To 2nd Circ.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a New York federal judge on Wednesday that it plans to appeal her decision in its registration suit against blockchain firm Ripple Labs to the Second Circuit.

  • October 02, 2024

    CFPB's $5M Student Loan Deal Gets OK Over PIMCO Objections

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has finalized a proposed $5 million settlement of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau case that alleged pandemic-era servicing failures involving securitized student loans, overruling objections that money manager PIMCO raised on behalf of loan investors.

  • October 02, 2024

    Enviro Groups Step Up Effort To Block JBS' US Listing

    Eighteen sustainability-focused investor groups are urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to reject a potential U.S. stock listing by Brazilian meat conglomerate JBS SA, alleging the company is misleading the public regarding climate risks posed by its operations.

  • October 02, 2024

    Defense Atty Escapes DQ In $3M Transaction Row, For Now

    An attorney representing a businessman facing a $3 million fraud suit over a botched business transaction will not be forced to step away from the case, a South Dakota federal judge determined Wednesday, denying a motion seeking to disqualify the lawyer because he worked on the deal at issue in the suit.

  • October 02, 2024

    'Netflix Of China' Beats Investor Suit Over Inflated User Claims

    China-based streaming service iQIYI, dubbed the "Netflix of China," and another streaming service, Baidu Inc., have beaten proposed shareholder class action suits alleging the companies falsely beefed up iQIYI's user metrics, causing stock price drops when the truth was later revealed in a short seller report.

  • October 02, 2024

    DC Circ. Says Election Betting Contracts Can Go Live

    The D.C. Circuit on Wednesday allowed betting on election outcomes to move forward after finding that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission hasn't shown that KalshiEx's listing of election-based event contracts would likely harm the public while the regulator challenges a ruling that gave the trading platform the green light to offer such services.

  • October 02, 2024

    Crypto Fund Manager Bitwise Files Plans For XRP-Tied Fund

    Crypto-focused asset manager Bitwise filed a registration statement Wednesday that proposes to list the first exchange-traded product tied to the price of XRP, a digital currency that has long faced regulatory resistance.

  • October 02, 2024

    Chancery Drops Curtain On AMC Stock Dilution Suit

    A Delaware vice chancellor dismissed on Wednesday a proposed class action seeking damages or additional shares for former AMC Entertainment Corp. preferred stockholders who say the value of their shares was wrongly reduced last year in a deal that settled a hotly contested share conversion and reverse split.

  • October 02, 2024

    4th Circ. Says Murdaugh Can't Appeal Fraud Sentence

    Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, who is serving life in prison for murder, was denied an appeal of a separate 40-year sentence after pleading guilty to stealing at least $9 million from clients by a Fourth Circuit panel that said he'd waived his right to appeal.

  • October 02, 2024

    SEC's Top Cop Departing After Record-Breaking Tenure

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday that enforcement director Gurbir Grewal will be leaving the agency next week following a three-year tenure, during which the agency brought in record penalties and frequently clashed with crypto industry participants objecting to a string of lawsuits brought under Grewal's leadership.

  • October 02, 2024

    Baker Donelson Must Face Mississippi Ponzi Scheme Suit

    A Mississippi federal judge has denied Baker Donelson's effort to escape civil conspiracy claims alleging the firm allowed a timber company's $164.5 million Ponzi scheme to unfold, with the judge stating he was "not persuaded" by the firm's argument, as it was based on the Eleventh Circuit's interpretation of Florida law.

  • October 02, 2024

    Tilray Gets Investor Stock Suit Scrubbed For Good

    A New York federal judge has dismissed with prejudice an investor suit alleging cannabis company Tilray Inc. and its officers misled investors about a co-branding agreement's prospects, saying the latest amended complaint fails to show that the company's CEO had intent to defraud or other nefarious motives.

  • October 01, 2024

    Meta Must Face Bulk Of Social Media Harms Securities Suit

    A California federal judge on Monday trimmed but refused to throw out a proposed securities class action claiming Meta Platforms Inc. and its executives misled investors about the harmful effects of social media, finding that the investors pointed to plausibly misleading statements regarding mental health and keeping children safe.

  • October 01, 2024

    Merrill Lynch To Pay $2M FINRA Fine Over Trade Report Flaws

    Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. has agreed to pay the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority $2 million to settle allegations of trade-reporting compliance shortcomings, including its alleged failure to properly trace millions of relevant retail customer transactions for over a decade.

  • October 01, 2024

    Lordstown Brass Beat Investor Suit Over Failed Foxconn Deal

    An Ohio federal judge on Monday freed current and former executives of Lordstown Motors Corp., now Nu Ride, from a proposed securities class action alleging they concealed problems ahead of a failed partnership with Taiwan-based Foxconn, saying delays and "other minor issues" didn't make general, positive statements inaccurate.

  • October 01, 2024

    CFTC Fines Barclays, 3 Others Over Swap Rule Violations

    Barclays Bank PLC on Tuesday agreed to pay the Commodity Futures Trading Commission $4 million for swap reporting violations, and three other swaps market participants copped to reporting and safeguards violations and agreed to pay more than $2 million combined in settlements that drew criticism from one commissioner.

Expert Analysis

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Unpacking The Latest Tranche Of Sanctions Targeting Russia

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    Hundreds of new U.S. sanctions and export-control measures targeting trade with Russia, issued last week in connection with the G7 summit, illustrate the fluidity of trade-focused restrictions and the need to constantly refresh compliance analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Considerations For Cooperation Contracts In Loan Trades

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    Significant challenges to settling trades can arise when lenders of syndicated bank loans enter into defense-oriented cooperation agreements, which are growing in popularity, but working through these issues on the front end of a trade can save hours down the road, says Robert Waldner at Crowell & Moring.

  • Emerging Trends In ESG-Focused Securities Litigation

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    Based on a combination of shareholder pressure, increasing regulatory scrutiny and proposed rulemaking, there has been a proliferation of litigation over public company disclosures and actions regarding environmental, social, and governance factors — and the overall volume of such class actions will likely increase in the coming years, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Next Steps After 5th Circ. Nixes Private Fund Adviser Rules

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent toss of key U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules regarding private fund advisers represents a setback for the regulator, but open questions, including the possibility of an SEC petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, mean it's still too early to consider the matter closed, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Takeaways From Nat'l Security Division's Historic Declination

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    The Justice Department National Security Division's recent decision not to prosecute a biochemical company for an employee's export control violation marks its first declination under a new corporate enforcement policy, sending a clear message to companies that self-disclosure of misconduct may confer material benefits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Deciphering SEC Disgorgement 4 Years After Liu

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Liu v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to preserve SEC disgorgement with limits, courts have continued to rule largely in the agency’s favor, but a recent circuit split over the National Defense Authorization Act's import may create hurdles for the SEC, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Updates To CFTC Large Trader Report Rules Leave Questions

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's updated large trader position reporting rules for futures and options is a much-needed change that modernizes a rule that had gone largely untouched since the 1980s, but the updates leave important questions unanswered, say Katherine Cooper and Maggie DePoy at BCLP.

  • Risks And Promises Of AI In The Financial Services Industry

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    Generative artificial intelligence has immense potential to revolutionize the financial services industry, but firms considering its use should first prepare to show their customers and the increasingly divided international regulatory community that they can manage the risks inherent to the new technology, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Beware Shifting Provisions In Middle-Market Loan Documents

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    In recent years, many credit facility provisions previously considered to be market standard have been negotiated, often turning in favor of borrowers, demanding renewed diligence from workout officers and restructuring counsel operating in the middle market, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • How SEC Could Tackle AI Regulations On Brokers, Advisers

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission held an open meeting of its Investor Advisory Committee on June 6 to review the use of artificial intelligence in investment decision making, showing that regulators are being careful not to stifle innovation or implement rules that will quickly be made irrelevant after their passage, says Brian Korn at Manatt Phelps.

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