Securities

  • March 27, 2025

    Umpqua Bank Strikes Deal With Investors In $300M Ponzi Suit

    Umpqua Bank and a class of investors on Thursday informed a California federal judge they've reached a settlement to resolve claims the bank helped execute an alleged $300 million Ponzi scheme led by a since-deceased real estate investment manager.

  • March 27, 2025

    Russian Oligarch-Linked Firm Owner Can't Shake SEC's Claim

    A New York federal judge has declined to toss claims brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against an investment firm owner who allegedly managed a Russian oligarch's wealth in America without ever registering with the SEC as required.

  • March 27, 2025

    New Del. Claims Filed In Jenzabar Stock Warrant Battle

    Investors in a fund focused on higher education software company Jenzabar Inc., a company mired in years-old Delaware Court of Chancery battles over stock warrants dating to 2004, have filed an expanded, nine-count suit accusing the company and key officials of looting the fund and wrongly terminating their interests.

  • March 27, 2025

    PayPal Investors Drop Derivative Suit Over SEC, CFPB Probes

    Shareholders of PayPal voluntarily dismissed their derivative suit against the company's executives and directors accusing them of making false statements about PayPal's practices that allegedly led to federal investigations, saying the dismissal is proper since the defendants were not liable in a similar securities class action filed against them.

  • March 27, 2025

    Coverage Row Over OpenText Merger Now Moot, Judge Says

    A Michigan federal court tossed on Thursday an insurer's lawsuit seeking a declaration that it had no duty to indemnify a shareholder class action stemming from Covisint's 2017 merger with software company OpenText, finding the dispute is now moot because the insurer's coverage limit has already been exhausted.

  • March 27, 2025

    FINRA Improperly Acts As Government Agency, 6th Circ. Told

    The owner of a consulting company has urged the Sixth Circuit to overturn a decision by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission affirming sanctions imposed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for alleged securities fraud, arguing that FINRA never had jurisdiction over him.

  • March 27, 2025

    SEC Drops Defense Of Biden-Era Climate Disclosure Rules

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday it would no longer defend regulations requiring some of the world's largest corporations to publicly disclose the effects climate change could have on their businesses, walking away from an Eighth Circuit challenge to the rules that the agency's acting chair called "unnecessarily intrusive."

  • March 27, 2025

    Atkins Suggests He May Open SEC's Doors To DOGE

    Paul Atkins, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on Thursday appeared to welcome the potential arrival of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency at the agency, while also pushing back on suggestions that his earlier votes as a Republican commissioner exacerbated the 2008 financial crisis.

  • March 27, 2025

    Faegre Drinker Securities Ace Joins Spencer Fane In Denver

    Spencer Fane LLP has added a securities litigation partner from Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP to its Denver office, the firm announced Thursday.

  • March 27, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Stay Injunction Compelling Fed. Worker Rehire

    A split Ninth Circuit panel has refused to block an injunction compelling the Trump administration to reinstate about 16,000 probationary employees to six federal agencies, saying the administration will likely lose its argument that the agencies weren't acting on an order from above when they fired the workers.

  • March 27, 2025

    FCPA 'Purgatory' Frustrates White Collar Bar, Anxious Clients

    An abrupt pause in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement has created tension between clients eager to resolve investigations and their attorneys, who are having trouble reaching decision-makers at the U.S. Department of Justice and are more inclined to await further guidance from the government.

  • March 26, 2025

    Feds Led Jury Astray About $175M JPMorgan Deal, Javice Says

    A lawyer for Frank founder Charlie Javice on Wednesday told a Manhattan federal jury that prosecutors have spent weeks misleading them about evidence purporting to show that she conned JPMorgan Chase & Co. into buying the now-defunct educational startup for $175 million, based on false information.

  • March 26, 2025

    Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.

  • March 26, 2025

    Supreme Court Skeptical Of Nixing FCC Subsidy Fund

    Conservative justices took aim Wednesday at rising costs in the country's multibillion-dollar phone and broadband subsidy system, questioning whether lawmakers put meaningful limits on the program's growth, but some argued the fund works just like others created by Congress that rely on revenues from industry fees.

  • March 26, 2025

    7 Firms Compete To Lead Novo Nordisk Securities Suit

    Levi & Korsinsky LLP, Pomerantz LLP and the Rosen Law Firm PA are among seven law firms vying to lead proposed class claims accusing Novo Nordisk A/S of misleading investors about a clinical trial for an obesity drug.

  • March 26, 2025

    Crypto Co. CEO Must Face Suit Alleging Refund Fraud

    The CEO of Power Block Coin LLC, which does business as SmartFi, must face a suit accusing him and the company of refusing to fulfill their "buyback guarantee" of its SmartFi tokens, with a Pennsylvania federal court ruling that the plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that the CEO promised SmartFi would refund investors their money.

  • March 26, 2025

    Standard General's $4.6B Bally's Buy Draws Del. Court Suit

    Hedge fund Standard General LP and its founder Soohyung Kim pulled the strings on Bally's Corp.'s $4.6 billion sale, grabbed control of the post-transaction entity and ultimately hurt stockholders, investors claim in a proposed class action filed Monday in Delaware Chancery Court.

  • March 26, 2025

    Atty's Falsehoods In Key Docs Aided $23M Fraud, Suit Says

    A pair of investment funds and two investors have hit a lawyer with professional malpractice and misrepresentation claims in Illinois federal court, accusing him of making false statements in solicitation documents to help their since-convicted managing member carry out a $23 million fraud.  

  • March 26, 2025

    Atkins' Industry Ties To Be Under Scope At SEC Nom Hearing

    President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to receive a friendly reception from Republican senators at his confirmation hearing on Thursday, but one leading Democrat has promised to press Paul Atkins on his ties to industry and the conflicts that could create.

  • March 26, 2025

    Crypto Firm Dfinity Gets Investor Suit Tossed Over Timeliness

    A California federal judge has tossed a shareholder suit against cryptocurrency firm Dfinity, siding with the firm's argument that claims it sold unregistered securities were too dated to proceed.

  • March 26, 2025

    Coalition Says Trump Admin Flouted Federal Rehiring Order

    The Trump administration responded to an injunction compelling it to rehire over 15,000 fired probationary employees by placing them on leave, not bringing them back to work, a coalition of advocates for the workers told a California federal judge Wednesday, saying the administration hasn't complied with the injunction.

  • March 26, 2025

    Crypto Expert Seeks OK Of $28M Bitcoin Arbitration Award

    A Malta-based cryptocurrency expert and his two companies have asked a Manhattan federal judge to enforce a more than $28 million arbitral award against a bitcoin mining server supplier they claim sent them faulty machinery.

  • March 26, 2025

    Ga. Judge Orders 3 To Pay $1.4M In SEC's Ponzi Scheme Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has ordered three investment advisers to pay, in total, more than $1.4 million in monetary relief over their alleged roles in a Ponzi scheme involving a private equity fund named Horizon Private Equity III.

  • March 26, 2025

    Resort Developer Asks To Unwind Pre-Ch. 11 Equity Deal

    California resort developer SilverRock Development Co. filed an adversary complaint in its Chapter 11 case Tuesday asking a Delaware court to unwind a pre-bankruptcy securitization transaction that converted preferred shares into secured debt.

  • March 26, 2025

    Soured Colo. Housing Partnership Spawns Another Suit

    A Colorado affordable housing project undermined by a trio of investors' soured partnership generated yet another lawsuit filed by an original investor alleging a partner brought on later intentionally tanked the project out of "seething vindictiveness."

Expert Analysis

  • Recent Cases Highlight Latest AI-Related Civil Litigation Risks

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    Ongoing lawsuits in federal district courts reveal potential risks that companies using artificial intelligence may face from civil litigants, including health insurance coverage cases involving contractual and equitable claims, and myriad cases concerning securities disclosure claims, say attorneys at Katten.

  • What Rodney Hood's OCC Stint Could Mean For Banking

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    Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood's time at the helm of the OCC, while temporary, is likely to feature clarity for financial institutions navigating regulations, the development of fintech innovation, and clearer expectations for counsel advising on related matters, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Opinion

    We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment

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    As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • 4 Actions For Cos. As SEC Rebrands Cyber Enforcement Units

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    As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission signals its changing enforcement priorities by retooling a Biden-era crypto-asset and cybersecurity enforcement unit into a task force against artificial-intelligence-powered hacks and online investing fraud, financial institutions and technology companies should adapt by considering four key points, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • New SEC Guidance May Change How Investors, Cos. Talk

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent updates to the Schedules 13D and G compliance and disclosure interpretations may mean large institutional investors substantially curtail the feedback they provide companies about their voting intentions in connection with shareholder meetings, which could result in negative voting outcomes for companies, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • 4 Key Payments Trends For White Collar Attys

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    As the payments landscape continues to innovate and the new administration looks to expand the role of digital currency in the American economy, white collar practitioners should be aware of several key issues in this space, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Performing Stand-Up Comedy Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether I’m delivering a punchline on stage or a closing argument in court, balancing stand-up comedy performances and my legal career has demonstrated that the keys to success in both endeavors include reading the room, landing the right timing and making an impact, says attorney Rebecca Palmer.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From SEC To BigLaw

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    As I adjusted to the multifaceted workflow of a BigLaw firm after leaving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, working side by side with new colleagues on complex matters proved the fastest way to build a deep rapport and demonstrate my value, says Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block.

  • What's Old And New In The CFTC's Self-Reporting Advisory

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    Attorneys at Blank Rome analyze the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent advisory that aims to provide clarity on self-reporting violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, and review whether market participants should shift their thinking — or not — when it comes to cooperation with the CFTC.

  • How Trump's Crypto Embrace Is Spurring Enforcement Reset

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent willingness to step away from ongoing enforcement investigations and actions underscores the changing regulatory landscape for crypto under the new administration, which now appears committed to working with stakeholders to develop a clearer regulatory framework, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession

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    For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.

  • During Financial Regulatory Uncertainty, Slow Down And Wait

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    Amid the upheaval at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the slowdown in activity at the prudential agencies, banks must exercise patience before adopting strategic and tactical plans, as well as closely monitor legal and regulatory developments concerning all the federal financial regulators, say attorneys at Dorsey.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Fix The SEC's Pay-To-Play Rule

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    Nearly 15 years after its adoption, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's pay-to-play rule is not working as intended — a notion recently echoed by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce — and the commission should reconsider the strict liability standard, raise the campaign contribution limits and remove the look-back provision, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • 4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy

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    This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.

  • Why A Rare SEC Dismissal May Not Reflect A New Approach

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    While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's pending dismissal of its case against Silver Point is remarkable to the extent that it reflects a novel repudiation of a decision made during the prior commission, a deeper look suggests it may not represent a shift in policy approach, say attorneys at Weil.

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