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Capital Markets
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April 23, 2024
Globetrotters Say SBA's 'Bureaucratic Hell' Cost COVID Grant
The Harlem Globetrotters on Monday renewed their yearslong fight with the U.S. Small Business Administration over a $10 million COVID-19 relief grant, filing a new suit in D.C. federal court accusing the SBA of leaving the team in "bureaucratic hell" rather than forking over the money it's entitled to.
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April 23, 2024
SEC Critics Preview Future Challenges To Agency Action
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may face new challenges to its enforcement authority from the way it imposes industry bars to the burden of proof needed to bring its civil cases, two frequent legal opponents of the agency said Tuesday.
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April 23, 2024
CFTC Formalizes Policy On Uncleared Swaps Recordkeeping
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission adopted a rule Tuesday that codifies its longstanding practice of not requiring swap execution facilities to maintain written copies of every uncleared swap agreement, a move some commissioners argued was long overdue.
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April 23, 2024
Ripple Labs Says Its SEC Fine Should Be No More Than $10M
Blockchain firm Ripple Labs told a Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's $2 billion remedies request over the firm's registration violation is proof of its "administrative overreach," and says it shouldn't be forced to pay more than $10 million over a finding related to its sales of cryptocurrency XRP.
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April 23, 2024
Seller Fights Lender Over First Dibs On $3 Million Property
A lender that took possession of a $3 million property in Haslet, Texas, seems to have negotiated the sale of the tract to an unaffiliated party, Texas appeals court justices said during oral arguments in Fort Worth on Tuesday, in a fight over whether the original seller gets right of first refusal after the land went into foreclosure.
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April 23, 2024
EV Co.'s SPAC Suit Gets Final OK For $1.9M Settlement
Lightning eMotors Inc., which made electric commercial vehicles and has announced liquidation of its assets, has received final approval for a $1.85 million settlement of shareholder derivative claims against its brass alleging they hid supply chain issues that would keep it from scaling after going public via merger with a special purpose acquisition company.
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April 23, 2024
Goosehead Insurance Investor Looks To Pause Chancery Deal
A stockholder of Goosehead Insurance Inc. who struck a settlement last year with the Texas-based company to end his proposed class action over disproportionate insider control asked Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday to put the deal on hold until another case involving investment bank Moelis & Co. plays out.
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April 23, 2024
Trump's Stake In Truth Social Swells An Additional $1.2B
The value of Donald Trump's stake in his newly public social media company soared by nearly $1.2 billion on Tuesday as the former president became eligible to receive bonus shares that were conditioned on the company's stock performance.
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April 23, 2024
Crypto Industry Groups Sue SEC Over Dealer Definition
Two crypto industry groups on Tuesday jointly sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to overturn the regulator's expanded dealer definition, claiming the regulator sidestepped a fair rulemaking process when it declined to address the myriad issues industry participants pointed out during the shortened comment process.
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April 23, 2024
Del. Chancery To Rethink Fast-Track Of Truth Social Suit
The judge taking over a Delaware Chancery Court lawsuit that two former "Apprentice" contestants brought against former President Donald Trump's social media company before the Truth Social platform went public will decide at the end of the month whether the suit still needs to be fast-tracked.
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April 23, 2024
Feds Want About 3 Years In Prison For LA Bank Embezzler
The former chief financial officer at a community bank in Los Angeles should spend nearly three years in prison after admitting he embezzled more than $700,000 and used employee identities in a life insurance scheme, the government told a California federal court.
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April 23, 2024
PE Giant Faces Sanctions Bid For Mexico Corruption Claim
Advent International Corp. and its counsel at Ropes & Gray and Quinn Emanuel allegedly fabricated claims that a Mexican corporation's lawyers corruptly influenced prosecutors and judges in the country to freeze the private equity firm's assets and issue arrest warrants for executives, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.
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April 23, 2024
DOL's Final Investment Advice Regs Expand ERISA's Reach
The U.S. Department of Labor issued final regulations Tuesday broadening who qualifies as a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, backing off some changes included in a proposal the agency released in October.
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April 22, 2024
PacWest Wants Suit Over Alleged Rate Hike Exposure Axed
PacWest Bancorp has urged a California federal judge to toss a proposed class action from an investor who alleges the California regional bank ignored warning signs posed by last year's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, saying the fact that it did not anticipate the "unprecedented turmoil in the banking industry" is not a violation of federal securities laws.
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April 22, 2024
NY's 'Buy-Now, Pay-Later' Oversight Bill Delayed But Not Dead
A New York state proposal to start licensing and supervising buy-now, pay-later providers didn't make the final cut in lawmakers' just-approved $237 billion budget, but a version being advanced through standalone legislation could still make it into law.
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April 22, 2024
CFTC Says Gemini Can't Pin Misstatements On 'Intermediary'
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has told a New York federal court that cryptocurrency exchange Gemini Trust Co. LLC is seeking to "shirk responsibility" for misleading the agency's staff about the risks of a proposed bitcoin futures contract.
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April 22, 2024
Real Estate Investment Cos. Owe SEC $8.4M For $17.5M Fraud
A pair of companies allegedly used in service of a fraudulent real estate investment scheme will pay over $8.4 million to end claims they were part of the $17.5 million ploy that took in more than 150 would-be investors with claims that the securities involved were "recession-proof."
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April 22, 2024
Exec In Insider Trading Case Says Feds Denied Him Counsel
The former CEO at the center of a novel insider trading case is asking that the California jury deciding his fate not be allowed to hear evidence obtained during a pre-indictment interrogation, arguing he was denied access to an attorney despite insisting on speaking to counsel at least a dozen times.
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April 22, 2024
Robinhood 'Meme Stock' Investors Lose New Class Cert. Bid
A Florida federal judge has denied a bid from Robinhood investors to file a new motion for class certification in a suit over the trading platform's suspension of so-called meme stock purchases, saying the deadline for class certification has passed and the investors have not shown a good reason to extend it.
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April 22, 2024
Freshfields-Led CVC Unveils Range On $1.7B Amsterdam IPO
European private equity giant CVC Capital Partners PLC, represented by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, on Monday set a price range on initial public offering estimated to raise about €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion), mostly benefiting selling shareholders.
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April 22, 2024
Steptoe & Johnson Adds Securities Duo In Oklahoma
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC has announced the hiring of two experienced securities attorneys from regional firm Conner & Winters LLP to its corporate and mergers and acquisitions practice in its Oklahoma City office.
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April 22, 2024
Walden Macht Launches Securities Group With Ex-Sidley Atty
White collar boutique Walden Macht & Haran LLP announced Monday that it has launched a securities enforcement defense practice headed by a recent arrival from Sidley Austin LLP in New York.
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April 22, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, Delaware's Chancery Court news included a Tesla announcement about moving to Texas, a midcase appeal of Tripadvisor's move to Nevada, and United Airlines' escape from a stockholder suit. Disputes about board entrenchment, squeeze-out mergers, co-founder fallouts and deadly ice cream moved ahead.
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April 22, 2024
SEC Says Terraform, Founder Owe $5.3B After Fraud Verdict
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a Manhattan federal judge to order bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Terraform Labs and its founder to pay roughly $5.3 billion, weeks after a jury found them liable for a massive fraud.
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April 22, 2024
PE-Backed Cruise Operator Viking Sets Sights On $1B IPO
Private equity-backed cruise operator Viking Holdings Ltd. on Monday set a price range on an estimated $1 billion initial public offering, represented by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and underwriters counsel Latham & Watkins LLP, marking the latest test of the IPO market's nascent recovery.
Expert Analysis
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ShapeShift Fine Epitomizes SEC's Crypto Policy, And Its Flaws
A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission order imposing a fine on former cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift for failing to register as a securities dealer showcases the SEC's regulation-by-enforcement approach, but the dissent by two commissioners raises valid concerns that the agency's embrace of ambiguity over clarity risks hampering the growth of the crypto economy, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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2nd Circ. Adviser Liability Ruling May Shape SEC Enforcement
The Second Circuit’s recent decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Rashid, applying basic negligence principles to reverse a finding of investment adviser liability, provides a road map for future fraud enforcement proceedings, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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New Concerns, Same Tune At This Year's SIFMA Conference
At this year's Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association conference on legal developments affecting the financial services industry, government regulators’ emphasis on whistleblowing and AI washing represented a new refrain in an increasingly familiar chorus calling for prompt and thorough corporate cooperation, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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8 Tips As GCs Prep For New SEC Climate Disclosure Rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted rules governing climate-related disclosures represent a major change to the existing public company disclosure regime, so in-house counsel should begin to evaluate existing systems and resources related to emissions data, and identify the changes that will need to be made, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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How New SEC Rule May Turn DeFi Participants Into 'Dealers'
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced a new rule to amend its definition of a securities "dealer," but the change could have concerning implications for decentralized finance and blockchain, as the SEC has suggested it may subject DeFi participants to registration requirements and other regulations, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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2nd Circ.'s Binance Locus Test Adds Risk For Blockchain Cos.
The Second Circuit’s recent use of the irrevocable liability test to rule a class action may proceed against decentralized crypto exchange Binance heightens the possibility that other blockchain-based businesses with domestic customers and digital infrastructure will find themselves subject to U.S. securities laws, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Series
Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.
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The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face
Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.
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2 Issues For Venture-Backed Climate Tech Startups To Avoid
As climate tech startups become more common, poor equity dilution management and stacked seed financing are two common pitfalls that apply more acutely to climate tech startups than to the broader venture-backed startup space, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Investment Advisers Should Prep For Money Laundering Regs
Investment advisers should prepare for a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed rule that would significantly expand anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism obligations by assessing illicit financing risks, and expect examiners to scrutinize unregistered advisers and those with certain foreign clients, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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How Private Funds Can Navigate New FinCEN Reporting Rules
In light of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's new regulations implementing beneficial ownership reporting requirements, private fund managers must assess whether certain obligations apply to entities within their structures and whether potential structural changes could simplify those obligations, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.