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Mergers & Acquisitions
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April 11, 2024
Autonomy Became Less Transparent Before Sale, Jury Told
An ex-market analyst testifying Thursday in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch duped HP into buying the British company for $11.7 billion told jurors that the company became less forthcoming about some of its accounting a couple of years before the sale.
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April 11, 2024
FTC 'Hopeful' Merger Judges Can See Past Market Definition
The Federal Trade Commission's top antitrust enforcer emphasized Thursday that the FTC and Justice Department's new merger guidelines could facilitate transaction challenges based solely on "direct" competitive effects, regardless of what market definition numbers indicate.
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April 11, 2024
Flopped Casino SPAC Investor Sues In Del. To Block Payout
An investor in a special purpose acquisition company that made a doomed, $2.7 billion effort to buy a casino in the Philippines has asked Delaware's Court of Chancery to prevent the SPAC from redeeming its outstanding shares, arguing it would violate Delaware law because the SPAC is insolvent.
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April 11, 2024
Nogin Can Get Another $3M In Ch. 11 Cash To Get Plan Done
E-commerce company Nogin Inc. received permission Thursday from a Delaware bankruptcy court to draw another $3 million in Chapter 11 financing as it continues working toward implementing its court-approved restructuring plan.
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April 11, 2024
Arax Buys US Capital Wealth In Latest Asset Manager Merger
Wealth management platform Arax Investment Partners, advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, announced on Thursday that its assets under management will grow to $16 billion following its acquisition of independent wealth management firm U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors, in a deal marking the latest in a string of mergers between asset managers.
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April 11, 2024
Investors Get OK For $111M Ponzi Case Receiver Passed On
A Colorado federal judge has given the green light for a group of investors to seek over $111 million from a forex-focused financial technology firm in the U.K. and its affiliate, in a lawsuit alleging they played an instrumental role in a scheme that duped investors and drew the attention of U.S. securities regulators and prosecutors.
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April 11, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: US Steel, Germany's Stada, Paramount
The DOJ opens a probe into Nippon’s proposed $14.9 billion takeover of US Steel, German drugmaker Stada explores a sale, and Paramount and Skydance are hashing out potential deal terms. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
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April 11, 2024
Del. Justices OK Denial Of Icahn-Illumina Midcase Appeal Bid
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn may not put his Chancery Court litigation against biotechnology company Illumina Inc.'s board on hold for a review of a decision that struck portions of the complaint that were based on confidential information, Delaware's Supreme Court said Thursday, upholding the lower court's rejection of the midcase appeal.
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April 11, 2024
State Enforcers: Not Joining Fed Cases No Sign Of Opposition
Several state enforcers said Thursday they choose which antitrust cases being brought by federal enforcers they join based on a number of factors, and it doesn't mean they are opposed to a case if they decide not to join.
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April 11, 2024
Kirkland, Jones Day Build $787.5M Sale Of Steris' Dental Unit
Medical device company Steris, advised by Jones Day, on Thursday announced plans to sell its dental segment to Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised middle market private equity shop Peak Rock Capital for $787.5 million.
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April 11, 2024
Jury Frees Urban Outfitters From Trade Secrets Suit
Urban Outfitters on Thursday beat back a lawsuit from a bankrupt online fashion rental company claiming the retailer stole its proprietary information to set up a competing business, with a Philadelphia federal jury finding that the clothing chain did not misappropriate trade secrets.
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April 11, 2024
Treasury Proposes Steeper Foreign Investment Law Penalties
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a notice Thursday proposing to sharpen its procedures and enforcement practices for reviewing foreign investment deals for national security issues, according to an announcement.
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April 11, 2024
SocGen To Sell Equipment Finance Unit To Rival For €1.1B
French banking giant Societe Generale SA said Thursday that it has agreed to sell its professional equipment financing business to rival BPCE for €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) to streamline the business and bolster its equity capital.
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April 10, 2024
No Merit To Autonomy Whistleblower Claims, Auditor Says
A Deloitte partner testifying in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and finance director Stephen Chamberlain duped HP into buying the British tech company for $11.7 billion said Wednesday that auditors concluded that whistleblower allegations by a finance department executive were meritless.
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April 10, 2024
Colo. AG Says Kroger Divestiture Plan Is Best Left For Trial
Colorado's attorney general wants a state judge to block Kroger and Albertsons from presenting evidence about a new divestiture plan at an upcoming hearing on the state's motion to temporarily block the grocers' merger, claiming the yet-to-be revealed plan is a strategy to "win by ambush."
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April 10, 2024
Ex-Art Institutes Execs Want Insurers To Avert $336M Suit
Former executives of a holding company that bought now-defunct for-profit colleges Argosy University, South University and The Art Institutes asked an Ohio federal court to force excess insurers to settle receivership claims before the pair are formally accused of leaving a $336 million debt in their wake.
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April 10, 2024
Dubious Merger Bid? 'Find A Different Deal,' DOJ Official Says
A U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official on Wednesday stood by the hardline Biden-era stance against most merger clearance settlements, saying that companies coming forward with potentially problematic transactions should rethink doing the deals at all or at least come with strong upfront divestiture proposals.
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April 10, 2024
PGA Tour-LIV Merger Questions Swirl As Masters Tees Off
With a trial attorney from the entertainment section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division sitting quietly by, sports law experts speculated Wednesday at the American Bar Association's spring antitrust meeting whether — and how — the agency might challenge the $3 billion merger between the PGA Tour and LIV.
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April 10, 2024
Skadden, Fenwick Lead $4.9B Alpine Immune Sciences Sale
Biotechnology company Alpine Immune Sciences Inc., advised by Fenwick & West LLP, on Wednesday revealed that it has agreed to be bought by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, in a $4.9 billion cash deal.
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April 10, 2024
Beer Biz Investors Beg NC Justices To Clear Legal Haze
Former shareholders looking to revive their fraud suit against the CEO of a beverage company and his wife asked the North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday to tie up an unsettled area of fiduciary law, saying a lower court's disparate jurisprudence "cries out" for clarity.
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April 10, 2024
Merger Notification Overhaul 'Pretty Close,' DOJ Official Says
A senior U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official predicted Wednesday that the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission are likely just weeks away from issuing the final version of a major overhaul to the filing requirements of companies notifying mergers to the agencies.
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April 10, 2024
NYSE Seeks To Provide SPACs More Time To Close Mergers
A New York Stock Exchange proposal would provide special-purpose acquisition companies with six more months to complete mergers while remaining listed — assuming relevant parties have signed a definitive agreement before a three-year deadline — potentially providing market participants more flexibility to close deals.
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April 10, 2024
Class Attys Seek Big Payday For $100M Pattern Energy Deal
Class attorneys are urging the Delaware Chancery Court to approve a $100 million settlement to end state and federal court litigation over Pattern Energy Group Inc.'s $6.1 billion go-private sale in 2020 and award them $26 million in fees for a deal they say is the largest of its kind in the Chancery's history.
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April 10, 2024
Past Violations To Get Close Eye With New Merger Filing Rules
Changes proposed to Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice merger reporting requirements would impose significant document submission obligations on merging parties, such as past violations of antitrust and labor law, practitioners and an agency deputy said Wednesday.
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April 10, 2024
Blackwells Unveils Takeover Plans For Hospitality REIT
Blackwells Capital told Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. investors on Wednesday that its intention to take the reins of the real estate investment trust's board of directors is necessary to stop a manager from "milking" the company for all it's worth.
Expert Analysis
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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Cross-Market Implications In FTC's Anesthesia Complaint
The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against a private equity firm's acquisition of anesthesiology practices highlights the controversial issue of cross-market harm in health care provider mergers, and could provide important insights into how a court may view such theories of harm, say Christopher Lau and Dina Older Aguilar at Cornerstone Research.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Inside Bank Regulators' Community Lending Law Overhaul
The federal banking agencies' recently finalized changes to the Community Reinvestment Act not only account for the gradual shift to an environment where lending and deposit-taking are primarily conducted online, but also implement other updates such as diversity initiatives and a new series of lending tests, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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Sellers Seeking Best Deal Should Focus On Terms And Price
Rising interest rates and a decline in the automotive mergers and acquisitions market mean that a failed deal carries greater stakes, and sellers therefore should pursue not only the optimum price but also the optimum terms to safeguard their agreement, says Joseph Aboyoun at Fox Rothschild.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Competition Considerations From Biden's AI Executive Order
In light of President Joe Biden's recent executive order on artificial intelligence and the antitrust agencies' expansive enforcement posture, businesses in the technology and related industries should expect scrutiny, and avoid interactions that could be perceived as unlawful collaborations or exchange of competitively sensitive information, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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Tips For Avoiding Disputes From M&A Earnout Provisions
Attorneys at Freshfields review key Delaware cases to outline several important considerations that may reduce the risk of an earnout dispute arising from a merger agreement and help the parties navigate disputes when they do occur.
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A Look At Successful Bid Protests In FY 2023
Attorneys at Sheppard Mullin look beyond the statistics in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent annual report on bid protests, sharing their insights about nine categories of sustained protests, gained from reading every fiscal year 2023 decision in which the protester had a positive result.
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Del. Dispatch: Refining M&A Terms After Twitter Investor Suit
The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Crispo v. Musk — invalidating a merger agreement provision that has been commonly used to disincentivize buyers from wrongful merger termination — should cause target companies to consider new approaches to ensure the payment of lost premium damages, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.