Securities

  • April 29, 2024

    'Tornado Cash' Crypto Fraud Wasn't Free Speech, Feds Say

    The founder of the Tornado Cash cryptocurrency exchange is mistaken in his arguments that First Amendment protections on computer code are grounds to dismiss his money laundering and sanctions-dodging charges, prosecutors told a Manhattan federal judge.

  • April 29, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    A multibillion-dollar Tesla trust proposal, a Truth Social bond, power plays over Prince's estate, and three in the ring for World Wrestling Entertainment. All of this and much more came up in Delaware Chancery Court dockets last week.

  • April 29, 2024

    AI Pharma Co. Sued By Investor Over Handling Of Fired CEO

    Artificial intelligence-driven pharmaceutical company Exscientia PLC has been hit with a proposed class action alleging its former CEO engaged in inappropriate personal relationships with employees, and that the company's chairman knew but concealed it.

  • April 29, 2024

    Protein Co. Nutriati Insiders Rushed $10M Sale, Del. Suit Says

    Stockholders of Nutriati Inc. have sued the plant-based protein producer's directors and officers and others in Delaware's Chancery Court, alleging that insider breaches of fiduciary duty resulted in a hasty, low-ball sale of the business in 2022 to one of its major investors.

  • April 29, 2024

    Excess Insurer Seeks Inclusion In OpenText Merger Row

    Allied World National Assurance asked a Michigan federal court to allow it to join a coverage dispute against its excess insured OpenText, maintaining that the software company's primary insurer will soon reach its limits on defense costs in the underlying class action over OpenText's merger with Covisint.

  • April 29, 2024

    Venezuela Says It Has Proof Of Special Master Improprieties

    Venezuela has asked a Delaware federal judge to disqualify the special master overseeing the sale of Citgo Petroleum Corp.'s parent company to repay billions of dollars in Venezuelan debt, saying it now has proof he engaged in improper advocacy before the Biden administration.

  • April 29, 2024

    Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Robbins Geller's Spencer Burkholz

    Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP's Spencer A. Burkholz is quick to downplay his accomplishments litigating major securities cases during his lengthy career, saying effective teamwork has been the key to those successes.

  • April 29, 2024

    Orrick Adds Morgan Lewis Securities Regulatory Atty In DC

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has hired a longtime Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP partner who focuses his practice on helping clients understand a myriad of securities regulations and financial laws, the firm announced Monday.

  • April 29, 2024

    Feds Accused Of 'Outrageous' Misconduct In Ozy Media Case

    Ozy Media and the defunct startup's founder want a New York federal judge to toss a criminal fraud case against them, accusing the government of prosecutorial misconduct and violating attorney-client privilege protections.

  • April 29, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Musk's Case Against SEC Gag Order

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will not review the terms of a settlement Elon Musk entered into with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission six years ago, keeping intact a Second Circuit decision that upheld the terms of a deal that said the Tesla CEO must receive preauthorization before making certain social media posts about the car manufacturer.

  • April 26, 2024

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    In the past year, plaintiffs have won settlements and judgments for millions and billions of dollars from companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Facebook and Fox News, with many high-profile cases finally wrapping up after years of fighting. Such cases — involving over-the-top compensation packages, chemical contamination, gender discrimination and data mining — were led by attorneys whose accomplishments earned them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2024.

  • April 26, 2024

    Mineral Co. Faces Investor Suit Over Gov't Contract Loss

    Mineral producer Compass Minerals International Inc. has been hit with a putative investor class action alleging the company failed to properly apprise investors about the likelihood that it would not secure a fire retardant supplier contract with the U.S. Forest Service ahead of 2024's fire season.

  • April 26, 2024

    Binance Can Arbitrate Suit Over Terra Stablecoin Collapse

    A California federal judge ruled Friday that Binance can arbitrate a proposed class action alleging the company misrepresented the stability of "algorithmic stablecoin" TerraUSD, rejecting the plaintiff's argument he is an "unsophisticated consumer" who could not "clearly and unmistakably" delegate the question of arbitrability to the arbitrator and not the court.

  • April 26, 2024

    CFTC Receives Competing Visions For AI's Regulatory Future

    Business lobbyists have urged the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to lean on existing regulations to address the financial industry's use of artificial intelligence, while skeptics say those regulations don't go far enough to guard against the technology's potential to spur market crashes and data breaches.

  • April 26, 2024

    Ex-BP Manager Charged With TravelCenters Insider Trading

    A former senior manager at BP PLC on Friday became the second person accused by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of engaging in insider trading over the British oil and gas company's $1.3 billion planned acquisition of TravelCenters of America Inc.

  • April 26, 2024

    Crypto Mining Co. Execs Face Suit Over Merger Shortcomings

    Executives and directors of crypto mining company Hut 8 have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit claiming they failed to disclose the severe financial and operational issues of a company Hut 8 merged with last year, later revealed in a short-seller's report.

  • April 26, 2024

    Crypto Atty's Senate Bid Takes Detour For SEC-Coinbase Suit

    The pro-cryptocurrency attorney vying to unseat Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts added to his pro bono work in the digital asset space on Friday by taking up the mantle for Coinbase users in the crypto exchange's ongoing battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • April 26, 2024

    Custodia Balks At KC Fed's $25K Legal Bill After Account Suit

    Custodia Bank on Friday urged a Wyoming federal judge not to award the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's request for roughly $25,000 in attorney fees and litigation costs in a suit that the cryptocurrency-focused bank recently lost, saying the payout could deter others from pursuing "David and Goliath" lawsuits against the government.

  • April 26, 2024

    Soccer Star Says Binance Is Target Of $1B Fla. Suit, Not Him

    Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has urged a Florida federal judge to dismiss a $1 billion proposed class action lawsuit against him over promoting Binance.US, saying the embattled cryptocurrency exchange is listed as the target of the suit — in an "apparent Freudian slip" — instead of him.

  • April 26, 2024

    Willkie Attys Turned An SEC 'Twist' Into A Win For A Client

    Attorneys from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP knew they were up against the clock after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation into their client Rumble Inc. last year. What they didn't expect, however, was the "big shocking twist" that would send their race against time into overdrive.

  • April 26, 2024

    Umpqua Bank Seeks Win On Investors' Ponzi Aiding Claims

    Oregon-based Umpqua Bank has asked a San Francisco federal judge to toss claims that it aided and abetted a $250 million real estate Ponzi scheme, arguing the investors who brought the suit saw that their funds were put into "legitimate" investments.

  • April 26, 2024

    Republic First Bank Fails In Biggest Bust Since 2023 Turmoil

    Republic First Bank, a roughly $6 billion bank based in Philadelphia, was shuttered Friday by Pennsylvania state banking regulators and sold to Fulton Bank NA, capping off a prolonged decline that only worsened in the wake of last spring's regional bank failures.

  • April 26, 2024

    Storm Clouds Gather Over Delaware's Business Haven Rep

    Storm clouds have closed around Delaware's often staid annual corporation law update, with one prominent firm publicly citing this week a perception that Delaware judges have adopted an "increasingly suspicious or negative tone" toward boards, management and the corporate bar, potentially jeopardizing the state's business haven status.

  • April 26, 2024

    Investors Ask 3rd Circ. To Revive Row With Maiden Holdings

    Investors urged the Third Circuit to revive their suit claiming that reinsurance company Maiden Holdings Ltd. misrepresented its underwriting and risk management practices, saying the lower court's erroneous discovery restriction prevented them from proving their case.

  • April 26, 2024

    Under Armour Investor Urges 4th Circ. To Revive Suit

    An Under Armour Inc. shareholder has urged the Fourth Circuit to resurrect his lawsuit that alleges company executives artificially inflated Under Armour's share price and cashed out before the stock plummeted, arguing the lower court erred in ruling that it did not have the power to hear the case.

Expert Analysis

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Calif. Verdict Showcases SEC's New 'Shadow Trading' Theory

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    Last week's insider trading verdict, delivered against biopharmaceutical executive Matthew Panuwat by a California federal jury, signals open season on a new area of regulatory enforcement enabled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shadow trading theory, say Perrie Weiner and Aaron Goodman at Baker McKenzie.

  • Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach

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    As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • ESG Challenges In Focus After Sierra Club Opposes SEC Rule

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    The Sierra Club's recent objection to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosures for investors presents an unusual — pro-disclosure — legal challenge and an opportunity to take a close look at the varying critiques of ESG regulations, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Opinion

    High Court Should Settle Circuit Split On Risk Disclosures

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    The U.S. Supreme Court should grant the petition for writ of certiorari in the Facebook case to resolve a growing circuit split concerning when risk disclosures can be misleading under federal securities laws, and its decision should align with the intent of Congress and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Bankruptcy Courts' Role In Shaping Crypto's Legal Framework

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    Massive financial and criminal liability has led to the recent collapse of major cryptocurrency companies and put bankruptcy courts in the spotlight, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework, say Tara Pakrouh and Eric Monzo at Morris James.

  • Private Capital Considerations Amid Market Revival

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    As improved market conditions position traditional financing to regain lost market share, it's also worth considering the pace and structure of private credit and other forms of private capital, especially when seeking to set unique terms or build new corporate relationships, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • Intent-Based Theory Of Liability In Hwang Creates Ambiguity

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    A case against Archegos Capital founder Bill Hwang alleging that he participated in a securities manipulation scheme, which goes to trial next month in New York federal court, highlights the need for courts to clarify the legal standard defining "market manipulation," says Edward Imperatore at MoFo.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • A Look At Recent Challenges To SEC's Settlement 'Gag Rule'

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    Though they have been unsuccessful so far, opponents of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's so-called gag rule, which prevents defendants from denying allegations when settling with the SEC, are becoming increasingly vocal and filing more challenges in recent years, say Mike Blankenship and Regina Maze at Winston & Strawn.

  • How American Airlines ESG Case Could Alter ERISA Liability

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    Spence v. American Airlines, a Texas federal case over the airline's selection of multiple investment funds in its retirement plan, threatens to upend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's legal framework for fiduciary liability in the name of curtailing environmental, social and governance-related activities, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

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