Securities

  • October 18, 2024

    Conn. Brother Wants No Jail Time In Brazilian Oil Scheme

    A Connecticut man who pled guilty to laundering money in a Brazilian oil bribery scheme that also ensnared his brother says he should not be sentenced to jail time because he needs cancer treatments and has been "devastated financially."

  • October 18, 2024

    JPMorgan Says Trial 'Needless' After Couple Loses $20M Suit

    JPMorgan Chase Bank NA told a Massachusetts federal judge Thursday there is no need for a two-week trial on the bank's counterclaims after it scored a pretrial win in a suit brought by an elderly couple who said bad investments cost them $20 million.

  • October 17, 2024

    SEC Fines Broker-Dealer PHX, Sues Rep Over Reg BI Claims

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has fined broker-dealer PHX Financial Inc. and sued one of its registered representatives over claims that the representative improperly advised a handful of retail clients to engage in a trading strategy that caused them massive losses but generated significant fees and commissions for the firm and the representative.

  • October 17, 2024

    Trump Media Investors Get Prison For Insider Trading

    A New York federal judge on Thursday sentenced a Florida venture capitalist to over two years in prison for insider trading on confidential plans to take the media company behind former President Donald Trump's Truth Social network public, a scheme that netted the investor and his brother nearly $23 million.

  • October 17, 2024

    Acadia Hid Wrongful Detainment Of Patients, Investor Claims

    Behavioral healthcare provider Acadia Healthcare was hit with a proposed securities class action in Tennessee federal court alleging that investors were damaged after The New York Times published an investigative report saying the company detained patients in its psychiatric facilities for financial gain rather than out of medical necessity.

  • October 17, 2024

    Stockholders Sue Tech Co. Controllers Over Equity Shuffle

    Stockholders of materials science venture Footprint International have sued the company, several current and former board members and its controlling shareholders in Delaware Chancery Court, seeking damages for allegedly conflicted refinancing moves that stripped regular shareholders of their interests and rights.

  • October 17, 2024

    CFTC Says Court 'Erred At Every Turn' In Election Betting Suit

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission told the D.C. Circuit that the district court "erred at every turn" when it allowed trading platform KalshiEx LLC to offer event contracts based on the outcome of U.S. elections.

  • October 17, 2024

    DOL, Red States Spar Over Loper Bright Impact On ESG Rule

    Conservative-led states suing the U.S. Department of Labor have told a Texas federal court that the end of the Chevron doctrine boosts their bid to end a rule allowing retirement plan advisers to consider environmental, social and governance factors in investment choices, while the DOL argued that it deserves another summary judgment win.

  • October 17, 2024

    Rocket Investors Eye New Cert. Bid After Post-Goldman Denial

    A pension fund has asked a Michigan federal judge for another chance at class certification in a suit alleging Rocket Cos. hid its knowledge of a drop in its mortgage business, saying the new class would be "substantially narrowed" after certification was previously denied in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • October 17, 2024

    Feds Arrest Man In SEC X Account Hack Touting Bitcoin ETF

    An Alabama man was arrested Thursday on federal charges tied to the January hack of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's X account, which caused bitcoin prices to spike after a phony post falsely touted that the agency had approved bitcoin exchange-traded products, federal authorities said.

  • October 17, 2024

    Zoox Investors Battle Amazon Sale Suit Toss In Chancery

    An attorney for self-driving robotaxi venture Zoox Inc., its directors and Amazon.com told Delaware's chancellor on Thursday that insolvency was days away when Zoox agreed to a $1.3 billion acquisition by Amazon.com in June 2020, despite conflicting claims from stockholders who challenged the deal.

  • October 17, 2024

    Meta Judge Doubts Investor Suit Over Efforts To Protect Kids

    A California federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday of keeping alive an investor's lawsuit claiming Meta Platforms Inc.'s annual proxy statement misled investors about the social media giant's efforts to protect children from sexual predators, telling the investor his economic loss arguments are circular and doubting whether Meta's statements are actionable.

  • October 17, 2024

    Amgen Faces Derivative Suit In Del. Over Tax Disclosures

    An Amgen Inc. stockholder has sued the company in Delaware's Court of Chancery seeking derivative recoveries for the multinational biopharmaceutical company from its directors and officers based on allegedly false and misleading statements regarding $10.7 billion in federal tax bills and penalties.

  • October 17, 2024

    FTC Admits Federal Court Merger Fights Are Usually Decisive

    Federal Trade Commission complaint counsel has admitted a reality that the agency has long resisted: While federal court preliminary injunction fights are ostensibly meant only to pause a merger while a merits case plays out through an in-house court, the federal court case usually decides the transaction's fate.

  • October 17, 2024

    FTX Insider Cites 'Limited' Fraud Role In Bid To Avoid Prison

    The former head of engineering at FTX asked a Manhattan federal judge to spare him prison time in light of his cooperation with prosecutors and what he said was a relatively "limited" role in the crypto exchange's billion-dollar fraud.

  • October 16, 2024

    TD Bank's $3B AML Deal Sparks Scrutiny Of Its Oversight

    The long-standing, widespread compliance failures at the root of TD Bank's blockbuster $3 billion U.S. anti-money laundering settlement last week have stunned experts and brought tough punishment for the Canadian bank — but they're also raising questions about why regulators didn't act sooner.

  • October 16, 2024

    NY's Financial Regulator Releases AI Cybersecurity Guidance

    New York's Department of Financial Services issued new guidance Wednesday intended to give state-regulated financial institutions an outline for protecting against cybersecurity risks posed by artificial intelligence.

  • October 16, 2024

    Chinese AI Co. Hit With Investor Suit Over Nasdaq Compliance

    China-based artificial intelligence company Xiao-I Corp. was hit with a proposed investor class action in New York federal court alleging it downplayed increasing research and development costs that it was incurring, increasing the likelihood that it would fail to comply with the Nasdaq Stock Market's minimum price requirement after going public.

  • October 16, 2024

    Gatos Silver Investor Deal Gets Final OK, Attys Score $6M Fee

    Attorneys from Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP, Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP and The Schall Law Firm will receive over $6 million after representing investors in a settlement with precious metals company Gatos Silver Inc. over claims the company knowingly overstated expectations about the resources and reserves in its mine in Mexico.

  • October 16, 2024

    ConocoPhillips Targets Hedge Fund Over Del. Citgo Sale

    ConocoPhillips has initiated a new lawsuit in Delaware in an attempt to preserve the value of Citgo's indirect parent company, PDV Holding Inc., for an upcoming auction aimed at satisfying Venezuelan debt, as Connecticut hedge fund Gramercy allegedly threatens to undermine the long-awaited Citgo sales process.

  • October 16, 2024

    3rd Par Funding Exec Admits To Racketeering In $100M Scam

    The last member of the triumvirate behind Par Funding, a cash advance company that federal prosecutors say bilked investors out of $100 million, pleaded guilty to racketeering in Pennsylvania federal court Wednesday, just weeks before he was scheduled to stand trial.

  • October 16, 2024

    Atty Pressed On DMI Stock Drop Focus In Del. Merger Suit

    A Delaware vice chancellor repeatedly pressed an attorney for shareholders of 3D printer manufacturer The ExOne Co. Wednesday on the relative importance of a stock drop experienced by acquirer Desktop Metal Inc. before and after shareholders voted on a $575 million merger.

  • October 16, 2024

    Banks Ditch Exchange's Boycott Conspiracy Suit At 2nd Circ.

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday rejected a small trading exchange's effort to revive its claims that several major banks conspired to shut it out of the credit default swap market, saying the exchange failed to plausibly allege that the banks' conduct was the result of an unlawful agreement or conspiracy.

  • October 16, 2024

    Hawaii Utility Beats Investor Suit Over Wildfire, For Now

    A California judge on Tuesday dismissed a shareholder suit filed against Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. in the wake of a deadly fire on Maui in 2023, but will allow plaintiffs to amend their claims that the company failed to warn investors about its inadequate risk mitigation program.

  • October 16, 2024

    Pharma Co. Contractor Settles SEC Insider Trading Claim

    An information technology consultant for a Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company will pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over $28,000 to resolve claims he immediately dumped shares of his client when he got wind of its yet-to-be announced plans for major layoffs.

Expert Analysis

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • How 3 Recent High Court Rulings Could Shape Fintech Policy

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Jarkesy, Loper Bright and Corner Post provide fintech companies with new legal strategies to challenge regulatory actions, but agency reactions to these rulings and inconsistent judicial interpretations could bring compliance challenges and uncertainties, says Amy Whitsel at FS Vector.

  • 2nd Circ. Case Reinforces Need For Advance Notice Bylaws

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Nano Dimension v. Murchinson illustrates that Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act is a square peg for a round hole, and that advance notice bylaws are far better at protecting against undisclosed coordination among activist shareholders, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot

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    After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Autonomy Execs' Acquittal Highlights Good Faith Instruction

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    The recent acquittal of two former Autonomy executives demonstrates that a good faith jury instruction can be the cornerstone of an effective defense strategy in white collar criminal cases, in part because the concept of good faith is a human experience every juror can relate to, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • SolarWinds Ruling Offers Cyber Incident Response Takeaways

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    The New York federal court's dismissal of all charges related to the 2019 Sunburst cyberattack is a devastating blow to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity case against SolarWinds, but the well-reasoned opinion provides valuable lessons that may improve companies' defensive posture in the wake of a major cybersecurity incident, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • 3 Ways To Lower Insider Trading Risk After First 10b5-1 Case

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's insider trading prosecution against the former CEO of Ontrack based on alleged abuse of a Rule 10b5-1 safe harbor plan — designed to allow executives to sell their companies' securities without liability — companies and individuals should take steps to avoid enacting similar plans in bad faith, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Evolving Regulatory Oversight For AI And Asset Management

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    Attorneys at K&L Gates discuss the evolving regulatory and legislative landscape for artificial intelligence in the asset management industry, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Congress consider how to address potential investor protection and systemic risks associated with AI.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy

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    The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.

  • Series

    A Day In The In-House Life: Block CLO Talks Problem-Solving

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    Amid the busy summer months, Block Inc. Chief Legal Officer Chrysty Esperanza chronicles a typical Wednesday where she conquered everything from unexpected fintech regulatory issues and team building to Bay Area commutes and school drop-off.

  • Analyzing Advance Notice Bylaws On 'Clear' Or 'Cloudy' Days

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    In Kellner v. AIM ImmunoTech, the Delaware Supreme Court recently clarified the framework for judicial review of advance notice bylaws adopted, amended or enforced on "clear" or "cloudy" days, underscoring the responsibility of boards to ensure that their scope does not overreach or prevent the possibility of a contested election, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations

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    The intersection of ESG goals and antitrust laws presents a complex challenge for businesses and their counsel — but by creating clear frameworks for collaboration, adhering to established guidelines and carefully considering the competitive implications of their actions, companies can work toward sustainability while mitigating legal risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

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