Securities

  • March 26, 2024

    GOP Lawmakers Push Gensler To Clarify SEC Stance On Ether

    Nearly 50 House Republicans called on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler to explain his agency's views on the ethereum network's token after a firm apparently only cleared to safeguard digital asset securities announced its intention to support ETH.

  • March 26, 2024

    SPAC Investors Misled In $1.35B Stem Deal, Del. Suit Says

    A former stockholder of a blank-check company that merged with intelligent energy storage business Stem Inc. filed a proposed class action in Delaware's Court of Chancery Tuesday, alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment in connection with the April 2021 merger.

  • March 26, 2024

    Texas AG Scores 'Huge Victory' With Securities Fraud Deal

    A deal announced Tuesday that ended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's nearly decadelong securities fraud case is a significant win for the chief legal officer, who avoided a potentially messy trial in a case that experts told Law360 might have been weaker than prosecutors had hoped.

  • March 26, 2024

    Jurisdiction Snafu Sinks US Bank Exec's Second Firing Suit

    A former U.S. Bank managing director has lost a second lawsuit challenging his firing, after a Colorado federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the executive is precluded from bringing a wrongful termination claim after a procedural misstep in the first case.

  • March 26, 2024

    SEC Says Ripple's 'Egregiousness' Warrants $2B Sanction

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has told a New York federal court that blockchain firm Ripple Labs Inc. ramped up sales of its XRP token after the agency launched its enforcement action and engaged in a "public relations campaign to deflect blame from its conduct," warranting nearly $2 billion in sanctions.

  • March 26, 2024

    SEC To Settle Fraud Suit With CEO Of North Carolina CBD Co.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the North Carolina CBD company CEO it accused of self-dealing and defrauding investors in a fund he ran has asked a federal judge to pause the government's case, telling the court they have reached a settlement.

  • March 26, 2024

    Men Let Off $114M Fraud Fight Feds Dismissal Pause

    A group of men who a Texas judge recently let off federal criminal charges of illegally manipulating stock prices has urged the court to reject prosecutors' attempt to pause dismissal of the case, arguing there is no justification for the move.

  • March 26, 2024

    Pot Co. Withholding Fees Despite Court Order, Chancery Told

    Three former directors of Left Coast Ventures Inc. say the cannabis company still hasn't advanced their legal defense fees for a merger-related lawsuit despite a court order to do so, and are now seeking help from Delaware's Court of Chancery to get the bills paid.

  • March 26, 2024

    Arista Networks Founder To Pay SEC $1M Insider Trading Fine

    The billionaire founder of technology company Arista Networks Inc. will pay a nearly $1 million fine to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations that he engaged in insider trading regarding an impending acquisition, the agency announced Tuesday.

  • March 26, 2024

    Crypto Co. KuCoin, Execs Charged With Enabling Laundering

    Manhattan federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment Tuesday charging foreign cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin and its two China-based founders with failing to implement anti-money laundering protocols and allowing more than $5 billion worth of criminal funds to flow through its trading platform.

  • March 26, 2024

    Paxton Cuts Deal To End Decadelong Securities Fraud Case

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has cut a deal with state prosecutors to end a securities fraud case against him that has stretched nearly a decade, attorneys told a Houston court Tuesday.

  • March 25, 2024

    SEC Kicks Off 'Shadow Trading' Case Against Drug Exec

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said at the start of a California federal "shadow trading" trial that a former Medivation executive made $120,000 by buying stock in a rival after learning his company would be acquired by Pfizer, while the defense said he didn't believe the trades violated securities law.

  • March 25, 2024

    Crypto Group, Apparel Co. Sue Over SEC Crypto Policy

    A Texas-based apparel company on Monday teamed up with a crypto industry group to sue the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over an alleged pattern of enforcement against crypto firms, which the brand said threatens its business since it distributed its own digital token.

  • March 25, 2024

    SEC Says Cannabis Investment Fund Was $500K Scheme

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed suit in Arizona federal court against a would-be venture capitalist, accusing him of fraudulently raising more than $500,000 from two investors for the cannabis startup where he worked.

  • March 25, 2024

    SolarWinds Makes Renewed Bid To Toss SEC Cyber Suit

    SolarWinds Corp. has asked a New York federal court to dismiss an amended suit it is facing from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying the agency cites documents that contradict its claims against the government contractor.

  • March 25, 2024

    COVID 'Cure' Claims Can't Sustain Fraud Suit, 9th Circ. Rules

    A biopharmaceutical company's "enthusiastic" statements to Fox News and others about a potential COVID-19 cure do not amount to fraud and cannot sustain a shareholder lawsuit accusing the company and its top executives of deceiving the market by pretending that a breakthrough was much more consequential than it actually was, the Ninth Circuit ruled on Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    Rivian's Brass Sued In Del. Over Vehicle Pricing Whiplash

    A shareholder of California-headquartered electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive Inc. has filed a derivative suit against the company's top brass in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging they made false and misleading statements concerning Rivian's financial model, including about production costs and pricing for its EV pickup truck and SUV.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ex-Lordstown CEO Settles SEC's 'Pre-Sale' Fraud Claims

    The former CEO of the electric pickup truck company once known as Lordstown Motors Corp. has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fraud claims over the alleged misrepresentation of its pre-sale demand for vehicles.

  • March 25, 2024

    SEC Says Justices Should Skip Musk's Gag-Order Grievance

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to pass on Elon Musk's complaint that an agency-imposed gag order violates his free speech rights, arguing the Tesla CEO entered the agreement willingly and has presented no legal justification for backing out.

  • March 25, 2024

    Solar Co. Downplayed Exposed Wire Issue, Investors Claim

    Energy company Shoals Technologies Group Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action alleging it downplayed the cost of repairing exposed wires for customers and that investors were blindsided when the company finally revealed it would need to spend at least $60 million to fix the issue.

  • March 25, 2024

    Texas Hotel REIT Says Blackwells Wants Illegal Proxy Contest

    A Texas hotel real estate investment trust asked a Texas federal court Sunday to stop a shareholder vote "from being infected with deception and misinformation," saying a New York-based hedge fund wants to run an illegal proxy contest to take control of the company's board of directors while hiding plans to buy it.

  • March 25, 2024

    Del. Justices Undo Toss Of Brookfield-TerraForm Merger Suit

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Monday reversed the dismissal of a suit from former shareholders of TerraForm Power Inc. who challenged a squeeze-out merger by Brookfield Asset Management Inc., concluding a proxy statement failed to fully disclose alleged conflicts of interest involving special advisers Morgan Stanley & Co LLC and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • March 25, 2024

    FTX Reaches Deals For $884M In Ch. 11 AI Biz Stock Sales

    Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading Ltd. informed a Delaware court that it has reached agreements with two dozen purchasers for sales of the debtor's holdings in artificial intelligence company Anthropic PBC worth $884.1 million.

  • March 25, 2024

    Atty Can Drop Alleged Schemer Who Didn't Pay For 2 Years

    A man accused of being the mastermind behind a $2 million cannabis crowdfunding scheme must find a new lawyer after stiffing his previous counsel for nearly two years, a Michigan federal judge said Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ripple's Legal Chief Says SEC Wants $2B In Remedies

    The CEO and legal head of blockchain firm Ripple Labs said Monday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to seek $2 billion in fines and penalties over the firm's failure to register institutional sales of its XRP token, but the firm plans to strike back at the high dollar amount.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Dispatch: How Moelis Upends Stockholder Agreements

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery's Moelis decision last month upended the standard corporate practice of providing governance rights in stockholder agreements and adds to a recent line of surprising decisions holding that long-standing, common market practices violate Delaware law, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

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    As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.

  • Wildfire Challenges For Utility Investors: Liability Theories

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    The greater frequency and scale of wildfires in the last several years have created operational and fiscal challenges for electric utility companies, including new theories of liability and unique operational and risk management considerations — all of which must be carefully considered by utility investors, say David Botter and Lisa Schweitzer at Cleary.

  • Under The Hood Of The SEC Securitization Conflict Rule

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    Elanit Snow and Julia Vitter of Proskauer consider the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently finalized rule that prohibits conflicts of interest in certain securitization transactions, uncovering what the new regulation does and doesn’t entail, why it was adopted, and how commenters' remarks affected the process.

  • Series

    Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.

  • Can A DAO Be Sued? SDNY Case May Hold The Answer

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    A case pending in the Southern District of New York will examine whether decentralized crypto co-op MakerDAO is a partnership with the capacity to be sued in federal court, and the decision could shape how legal frameworks will adapt to accommodate blockchain technologies moving forward, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Tips For Counsel Seeking Balance In The ESG Political Divide

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    Corporate counsel tasked with navigating environmental, social and governance factors in the current polarized political environment should not lose sight of best practices, including sticking to what the law requires and always telling the truth, say Jennifer Rubin at Mintz and Mike Rider at ResMed.

  • Practical Steps For Navigating New Sanctions On Russia

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    After the latest round of U.S. sanctions against Russia – the largest to date since the Ukraine war began – companies will need to continue to strengthen due diligence and compliance measures to navigate the related complexities, say James Min and Chelsea Ellis at Rimon.

  • Opinion

    UK Whistleblowers Flock To The US For Good Reason

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    The U.K. Serious Fraud Office director recently brought renewed attention to the differences between the U.K. and U.S. whistleblower regimes — differences that may make reporting to U.S. agencies a better and safer option for U.K. whistleblowers, and show why U.K. whistleblower laws need to be improved, say Benjamin Calitri and Kate Reeves at Kohn Kohn.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

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    The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Corporate Transparency Act Isn't Dead Yet

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    After an Alabama federal court's ruling last week rendering the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional, changes to the law may ultimately be required, but ongoing compliance is still the best course of action for most, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

  • How Advance Notice Bylaws Are Faring In Del. Courts

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    Recent decisions make it clear that the Delaware Chancery Court is carefully reviewing public companies' amended advance notice bylaws in order to balance the competing interests of boards and shareholders, and will likely strike down bylaws that improperly interfere with stockholder franchises, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.

  • Employers, Prep For Shorter Stock Awards Settlement Cycle

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    Companies that provide equity compensation in the form of publicly traded stock will soon have one less day to complete such transactions under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Nasdaq rules — so employers should implement expedited equity compensation stock settlement and payroll tax deposit procedures now, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks

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    Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

  • Strategies For Single-Member Special Litigation Committees

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent order in the Baker Hughes derivative litigation allowing testimony from a single-member special litigation committee highlights the fact that, while single-member SLCs are subject to heightened scrutiny, they can also provide unique opportunities, says Josh Bloom at MoloLamken.

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