U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins told Congress on Wednesday that he has directed staff to review a Biden-era rule aimed at preventing false advertising by funds marketed to eco-conscious investors, though he didn't detail what specific changes were under consideration. 
Law360
Securities
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

SEC's Atkins Says ESG Fund Names Rule Is Under Review

By Jessica Corso

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins told Congress on Wednesday that he has directed staff to review a Biden-era rule aimed at preventing false advertising by funds marketed to eco-conscious investors, though he didn't detail what specific changes were under consideration. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pfizer, SEC Reach $29M Deal In Insider Trading Fund Dispute

By Katryna Perera

Pfizer and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have jointly asked a New York federal judge to allow $29 million out of the roughly $75.2 million distribution leftover from a $602 million insider trading deal to be paid out to a Pfizer subsidiary.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Questions Denial Of CFTC Whistleblower Award

By Nadia Dreid

The D.C. Circuit seemed skeptical Wednesday morning about the argument that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission wrongly denied a man a $147 million whistleblower incentive award after he tipped off the agency about foreign exchange market manipulation.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chancery Rejects Coinbase Litigation Committee Sealing Bid

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court partially rejected an effort by cryptocurrency company Coinbase Global Inc.'s special litigation committee to keep large swaths of the record sealed in an insider trading derivative suit, emphasizing the public's strong right of access to judicial proceedings.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Stitch Fix To Pay $32M To End Investors' Biz Line Suit

By Sydney Price

Personal styling platform Stitch Fix Inc. and its shareholders have asked a California federal court to approve a $32 million settlement to resolve the investors' claims they were deceived about the impact of a new business line.

Settlement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CEO Criticizes 'Crazy Lawyers' In $5M Financial Adviser Feud

By Aaron Keller

The chief executive officer of Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC on Wednesday testified that he emailed a rival CEO during litigation to warn him that "crazy lawyers" could be burning millions of dollars to fight an unfair trade practices case Prime believed involved business worth $50,000 to $100,000.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2026 Editorial Boards

Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2026 editorial advisory boards.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

COMPLIANCE

AGs Warn Cos. Plastic Initiatives May Break Competition Laws

By Sarah Jarvis

The attorneys general of 10 red states have warned 80 corporations that their purported involvement in organizations aiming to reduce plastic waste might run afoul of antitrust and consumer protection laws, following similar competition-focused actions targeting environmental and diversity groups at the state and federal levels.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CRYPTO & FINTECH

Contracts On Aliens, Hugs Aren't Gambling, Kalshi Tells Judge

By Brian Steele

The distinction between a futures contract and a wager could play a role in deciding whether Kalshi can offer certain sports-related transactions in Connecticut, a federal judge hinted Wednesday while hypothesizing about the legality of contracts on events like first contact with extraterrestrial life and world leaders greeting each other with a warm embrace.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Shkreli Can't Add Wu-Tang Members To Fight With Crypto Co.

By Elliot Weld

"Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli can't drag two members of the Wu-Tang Clan hip-hop group into a suit brought by a crypto firm that claims Shkreli improperly retained copies of an album that it bought the rights to, a New York federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Big Ten Athletes Back NCAA Campaign Against Prop Bets

By Ganesh Setty

Student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference have urged the NCAA to keep fighting to curb prop betting across college athletics, saying it not only threatens the integrity of college sports, but also poses a safety risk.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Crypto Scam Victims Can't Sue Signature Bank, 2nd Circ. Says

By Katryna Perera

The Second Circuit has upheld the dismissal of a suit by a cryptocurrency trading club against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., as receiver of the failed Signature Bank, alleging negligence by the bank led to the club being defrauded and losing much of the $33 million invested in it.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Tosses Patent Suit Over Decentralized Exchange Tech

By Adam Lidgett

A New York federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit accusing the companies behind Uniswap of infringing patents for smart contract technology used in decentralized exchanges, finding the patent claims didn't pass the U.S. Supreme Court's Alice test.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CIVIL ENFORCEMENT

SEC Inks $150K Deal With Adviser In Cherry-Picking Case

By Sydney Price

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has inked an approximately $150,000 settlement with an investment adviser and his employer over the regulator's accusations of illegal cherry-picking, voluntarily dismissing a parallel suit against the pair months before a trial was set to get underway.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

WHITE COLLAR

NBA Pro Says He Would've Balked At Deal Over Adviser's Role

By Stewart Bishop

A former New York Knicks shooting guard on Wednesday testified that he didn't know his former Morgan Stanley adviser had a stake in the player's $2.1 million life insurance investment and would have passed on the deal had he known, echoing testimony from two other NBA veterans.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Paxful Sentenced To $4M Fine Over Compliance Failures

By Aislinn Keely

A California federal judge sentenced now-shuttered crypto exchange Paxful Holdings Inc. to a $4 million penalty in line with a December 2025 plea agreement that saw the firm cop to anti-money laundering failures that enabled illicit transfers of criminal proceeds.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DELAWARE

Del. Justices Grapple Over Truth Social Share Math

By Jeff Montgomery

An attorney for the firm that helped launch Donald Trump's social media company told Delaware's justices Wednesday that a vice chancellor erred in requiring the venture to "prove a negative" in calculations of investor stakes in the run-up to the venture's special purpose acquisition company transaction.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CoStar Pay Plan Frustrates Proxy Fight, Del. Suit Claims

By Nate Beck

A group of shareholders has hit CoStar Group with a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court alleging the company's board last month approved a severance payment plan to deter activist investors DE Shaw and Third Point from launching a proxy contest over criticism of its Homes.com and Apartments.com performance.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

INVESTOR ACTIONS

JPMorgan Says Calif. City's Interest-Rate Swap Suit Is Barred

By Emilie Ruscoe

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has sued in Manhattan federal court to block Richmond, California, from pursuing a new lawsuit of its own over past interest-rate swap transactions, alleging the city's case breaches a 2015 settlement by seeking millions of dollars for already-released claims.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bike Parts Co. Beats Investors' Demand Slump Suit For Good

By Emilie Ruscoe

Bicycle parts maker Fox Factory Holding Corp. has beaten a proposed investor class action for good, a Georgia federal judge determined after finding that a revised version of the suit made "mostly cosmetic changes" to previously dismissed claims that the company hid a post-pandemic demand slump.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GM Execs Ditch Investors' Cruise AV Securities Fraud Suit

By Linda Chiem

A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday tossed the remaining claims against General Motors and its top executives in a proposed securities fraud class action alleging its self-driving car unit Cruise LLC misrepresented the technological capabilities and commercial readiness of its autonomous vehicles.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pegasystems Settles Mass. Shareholder Actions For $7M

By Julie Manganis

Pegasystems has agreed to pay $7 million to settle three shareholder derivative suits in Massachusetts state and federal courts alleging the software company's top officials sat on details of a 2020 trade secrets suit that led to a now-overturned $2 billion verdict.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CoreWeave Hit With 2 More Suits Over Data Center Delays

By George Woolston

CoreWeave Inc. was hit Tuesday with two more proposed shareholder class actions over alleged misleading statements on its capacity to handle consumer demand and data center construction delays.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL ETHICS & MALPRACTICE

Pot Investor Sues Attys Over Securities Suit Loss

By Mike Curley

A cannabis company investor is suing his former attorneys in Washington state court, alleging he lost a Washington Securities Act suit because of their failure to object to the defendant's arguments and didn't tell him about his case's dismissal.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Tips From Del. Decision Nixing Major Earnout Damages Award

The Delaware Supreme Court recently vacated in part the largest earnout-related damages award in Delaware history, making clear that the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing cannot be used to rescue parties from drafting choices where the relevant regulatory risk was foreseeable at signing, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Open Questions After Defense Contractor Executive Order

The scope and long-term effects of President Donald Trump’s executive order on the U.S. defense industrial base are uncertain, but the immediate impact is significant as it appears to direct the U.S. Department of Defense to take a more active role in contractor affairs, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Legal Services Hiring Started New Year Off With A Bang

By Tracey Read

The legal sector is off to a good start in 2026, with 5,500 more people employed in lawyer, paralegal and other law-related professional roles last month than in December, according to seasonally adjusted data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feature

'Unflappable' Mass. Judge Emerges As Trump Foil

By Chris Villani

The newest member of the Massachusetts federal bench has made a name for himself as a thorn in the side of the Trump administration, a perception that stands in stark contrast to what friends and former colleagues describe as an unassuming and open-minded judge.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'It Takes Time To Write': Jackson On High Court's Tariff Ruling

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has provided an unusual update on the court's decision over President Donald Trump's authority to impose emergency tariffs, saying in a TV interview that the justices are still working on what is one of their most anticipated rulings this term. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Not 'Your Dad's DOJ': Recapping Year One Under Bondi

By Phillip Bantz and Carolina Bolado

Even before her contentious congressional testimony on Wednesday, few U.S. attorneys general had been embroiled in so many controversies so early into their tenures as Pam Bondi, who critics and supporters alike say embodies a new era at the Justice Department.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bondi Touches On Judges, Fraud, Subpoenas At Fiery Hearing

By Courtney Bublé

Attorney General Pam Bondi opened her congressional testimony on Wednesday taking aim at "liberal activist judges," but the rest of the hearing was devoid of any discussion or questions on the Trump administration's combative relationship with a large portion of the federal bench.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Goldstein Says He Lost Millions On Poker In 2016

By Jared Foretek

SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein told the Maryland federal jury in his tax fraud trial Wednesday that he lost nearly $3 million playing poker in 2016, directly contradicting charges that he underreported his gambling winnings, and pinned the blame for tax filing errors on his own miscalculations and shoddy work from his accountants.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SC High Court Probes Clerk's Misconduct In Murdaugh Appeal

By Parker Quinlan

The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday closely inspected Alex Murdaugh's appeal claiming the jury in his high-profile double-murder trial was biased because of comments made by a clerk of court, voicing questions and statements favorable to the disgraced lawyer's arguments.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Md. Federal Judge Owns Up To Creating 'Abusive' Workplace

By Jack Karp

A Maryland federal judge has acknowledged creating an "abusive workplace" where clerks were chastised for minor errors, discouraged from asking questions and harshly criticized, according to a Fourth Circuit disciplinary order.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Remote LSAT Testing To Largely End Amid Cheating Concerns

By Emily Johnson

Law school hopefuls will mostly need to sit for the Law School Admission Test — better known as the LSAT — in person starting in August rather than test remotely, a change designed to strengthen security after the exam provider ended remote testing in China over cheating concerns.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ford Slams Lemon Law Attys' Bid To Escape Billing Fraud Suit

By Lauren Berg

Ford Motor Co. urged a California federal judge to keep alive its lawsuit accusing three Knight Law Group LLP-affiliated attorneys of orchestrating a massive fraudulent legal billing scheme, scoffing at the attorneys' argument that they are immunized from liability related to lemon law litigation they have pursued.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Atty Wins $25K Fee Sanction Over AI Errors

By Emily Sawicki

A California federal court has ordered $25,000 in fee sanctions for a litigator representing a mobile app platform in a copyright and contract suit as reimbursement for work he said went into responding to an error-ridden motion and further resulting motion practice.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Miami World Cup Counsel Share Look At Prep Work, Impact

By Nathan Hale

Counsel representing the FIFA World Cup's Miami Host Committee gave Law360 an inside look at their multifaceted work preparing for the upcoming event, which organizers say could have the economic impact of multiple Super Bowls.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trio Leading NJ District Office Face New Disqualification Bid

By Elizabeth Daley

A criminal defendant who successfully challenged the appointment of Donald Trump's former personal attorney Alina Habba as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor joined other defendants in seeking to disqualify the trio now helming the office.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Beasley Allen Wants Talc DQ Paused Pending High Court Appeal

By Jonathan Capriel

Hundreds of women who claim their ovarian cancer was caused by Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder risk appearing in an upcoming trial without their preferred counsel from the Beasley Allen Law Firm, unless a New Jersey state court stays an order disqualifying the firm, it said.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Morgan & Morgan, Former Aide Settle Disability, Age Bias Suit

By Lynn LaRowe

Personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan PA and a former firm legal assistant have settled a Florida federal lawsuit that alleged age and disability discrimination, according to a filing in the court.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NYC Bar Pushes Gov. To Free Legal Aid Funds In Budget

By Andrea Keckley

The New York City Bar Association urged Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement Wednesday to ensure the 2027 executive budget gives the New York State Interest on Lawyer Account Fund access to its revenue for civil legal services, noting the current proposed budget did not grant full spending authority.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Promo that reads 2025 Practice Groups of the Year

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Abbott Cooper PLLC

Andrews DeValerio

Asher Kelly

Beasley Allen

Beck Reed

Bernstein Litowitz

Bilzin Sumberg

Bloch & White

Bragar Eagel

Bronstein Gewirtz

Brown Law Firm

Bush Seyferth

Cohen Milstein

Computerlaw Group

Cooley LLP

Cowdery Murphy

Cultiva Law

DLA Piper

Dykema

Esseks Ingoglia

Evangelista Worley

Faegre Drinker

Foley & Lardner

FordHarrison

Fried Frank

Friedman & Anspach

Friedman Kaplan

Friedman Oster

Gibson Dunn

Glenn Agre

Greenwich Legal Associates

Griffin Humphries

Harris Beach Murtha Cullina PLLC

Healy LLC

Hobbs Straus

Holt Woods

Jenner & Block

Kaskela Law

Kasowitz LLP

Keker Van Nest & Peters

Klausner Kaufman

Knight Law Group

Krovatin Nau

Labaton Keller

Latham & Watkins

Lauro & Singer

Leach & Walker

Lowell & Associates

Lynch Carpenter

Mancini Shenk

Matorin Law Office

McCarter & English

McIntyre Thanasides

Milbank LLP

Miller & Chevalier

Mintz Levin

Morgan & Morgan PA

Morgan Lewis

Motley Rice

Munger Tolles

Nixon Peabody

O'Melveny & Myers

Paul Weiss

Pillsbury Winthrop

Polsinelli PC

Powers Pyles

Quinn Emanuel

Reed Smith

Richard A. Harpootlian PA

Richards Layton

Rigrodsky Law

Robbins LLP

Roe Law Group

Ross Aronstam

Rudolf Smith

Schall Law

Scott&Scott

SedlikGroup

Shuman Glenn

Sills Cummis

Skadden Arps

Spencer Fane

Squire Patton

Sullivan & Cromwell

Todd & Weld

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

Wilson Sonsini

Wirtz Law APC

Young Conaway

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American Petroleum Institute Inc.

Appian Corp.

Auris Health Inc.

BP PLC

Chevron Corp.

CoStar Group Inc.

Coinbase Global Inc.

Costco Wholesale Corp.

De Novo

DraftKings Inc.

Elan Corporation, plc

Empire Justice Center

Exxon Mobil Corp.

FanDuel Inc.

Federal Bar Association

Federation Internationale de Football Association

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.

Ford Motor Co.

Fort Point Capital

Fortis Advisors LLC

Fox Factory Holding Corp.

General Motors Co.

Instagram Inc.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Johnson & Johnson

Law School Admission Council Inc.

Learning Resources Inc.

Major League Baseball Inc.

Major Lindsey & Africa LLC

Morgan Stanley

National Basketball Association Inc.

National Collegiate Athletic Association

National Congress of American Indians

New York City Bar Association

New York Knicks

OpenAI OpCo LLC

Pegasystems Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

Point72 LP

Prime Capital Investment Advisors

RWDSU Local 338

Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

S.A.C. Capital Advisors LP

Shell PLC

State Bar of California

Stitch Fix Inc.

The Gatorade Company Inc.

TikTok Inc.

Uniswap Labs

Vineyard Wind LLC

Wealth Enhancement Group LLC

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Committee for Public Counsel Services

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Delaware Court of Chancery

Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Federal Trade Commission

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

Food and Drug Administration

Internal Revenue Service

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

Mohegan Tribe

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

New Jersey Supreme Court

New York Attorney General's Office

New York State Assembly

South Carolina Attorney General's Office

Superior Court of Massachusetts

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Nevada