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Capital Markets
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June 10, 2024
Gemini Says Jury Must Weigh Alleged 'Omissions,' Not Judge
Gemini Trust Co. has told a Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's claims that the crypto exchange omitted key information related to a proposed bitcoin futures contract isn't ripe for a pretrial decision because the claims involve "hotly disputed factual questions."
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June 10, 2024
Ex-LA Chinatown Bank CFO Gets 3 Years For Embezzlement
The former chief financial officer of a bank based in Los Angeles' Chinatown has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud for embezzling more than $700,000 from his employer.
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June 10, 2024
Pension Fund Repays PBGC $8M In Excess Financial Aid
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that a pension provider for workers in graphic communications has paid back more than $8 million in excess funds it received through a financial assistance program administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.
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June 10, 2024
Fat Brands Faces Investor Suit Over $47M Loan Scheme
Fat Brands and its executives face a proposed class action in California federal court alleging that they falsely claimed to be cooperating with governmental probes into their CEO's spending $47 million on company loans while skirting taxes, leading stock prices to plunge last month when criminal charges were announced.
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June 10, 2024
Bloomberg's Utility Bond Changes Hurt Consumers, Suit Says
Bloomberg LP was hit with a proposed class action by California and Texas electricity customers who claim the company reclassified certain bonds issued by utility companies to elevate their perceived risk and hike interest rates, a move they say benefited institutional investors but imposed increased costs on electricity customers.
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June 10, 2024
Exxon Says Activist Investor Could Still Target Core Business
Exxon Mobil Corp. sought Monday to keep alive its lawsuit against Arjuna Capital LLC in Texas federal court, arguing that the activist investor could still work behind the scenes to submit climate-related shareholder proposals despite promises in court that it will not.
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June 10, 2024
2nd Circ. Remands Malpractice Suit Against DLA Piper
The Second Circuit on Monday sent back to state court a Chinese smart car technology company's malpractice suit against DLA Piper that accused the firm of mishandling a shareholder suit, with the appeals court panel saying federal court does not have jurisdiction over the suit.
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June 10, 2024
Arnold & Porter Advises Cognizant On $1.3B Belcan Buy
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP is guiding Cognizant on a newly inked agreement to buy Kirkland & Ellis LLP-repped Belcan for about $1.3 billion, Cognizant said in a statement Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Conduent Buys Back $132M Of Shares From Carl Icahn
Business services provider Conduent Inc. on Monday agreed to repurchase $132 million of common stock from activist investor Carl Icahn, ending Ichahn's stock in the company through a deal guided by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Holland & Knight LLP.
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June 10, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Big players and big moves dominated much of the past week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, as Tesla in particular and big corporations in general showed their pique over rulings that went toward stockholders or against conventional expectations.
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June 10, 2024
Elliott Presses Southwest Airlines For Leadership Changes
Elliott Investment Management LP said Monday that it has amassed a stake in Southwest Airlines of approximately $1.9 billion as it pushed the airline to make leadership changes, but Southwest was quick to defend its top brass.
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June 07, 2024
Casper Investors Ink $3M Deal Over Mattress Co.'s Woes
Investors in mattress company Casper Sleep Inc. have asked a Brooklyn federal judge for an initial nod for their $3 million deal that would end claims the company misrepresented its financial prospects in the lead-up to its February 2020 initial public offering.
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June 07, 2024
Terraform Funder Must Face Class Claims In Illinois
Terraform Labs' financial backer Jump Trading LLC cannot consolidate a pair of proposed class actions accusing it of propping up the failing crypto platform, with a federal judge ruling that purchasers of a massively devalued crypto token can keep their lawsuit against the high-speed trading firm in Illinois.
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June 07, 2024
Sports Co. Scoffs At SEC's 'Unreasonable' Damages Bid
The sports business Crystal World and a related investing group told a Washington, D.C., district court Friday they should not be saddled with millions of dollars in civil penalties because their former executive, not the companies, committed the alleged securities fraud.
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June 07, 2024
SEC Fines Ex-AstraZeneca Insider $1.4M For Merger Trades
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered a former AstraZeneca employee to pay $1.4 million to settle claims he used nonpublic information to trade CinCor Pharma shares ahead of the public announcement that the two companies would merge.
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June 07, 2024
6th Circ. Revives Investors' Suit Over Leech Tishman Advice
A Sixth Circuit panel has revived a group of investors' claims that Pittsburgh-based Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl's lawyers gave fraudulent and negligent advice about clean energy investments that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, reasoning that a one-year statute of limitations had been tolled for some claims and didn't apply to others.
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June 07, 2024
Nossaman Picks Up Pensions Partner In Phoenix
Nossaman LLP has brought on a public pension plan expert from Kutak Rock LLP as a partner in its Phoenix office, continuing the firm's expansion of its benefits and investments group.
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June 07, 2024
Goodwin, Cooley Lead J&J-Backed Neurological Firm's IPO
Johnson & Johnson-backed neurological firm Rapport Therapeutics Inc. rallied in debut trading Friday after it completed a $136 million initial public offering within its price range, guided by Goodwin Procter LLP and underwriters counsel Cooley LLP.
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June 07, 2024
Bank Says Alzheimer's Center Owes $17M On Defaulted Loan
An Alzheimer's care center owes Bank of Oklahoma nearly $17 million after it became the last of four memory care facilities to default on a $27.5 million loan that was used to refinance their mortgage debt, according to a complaint filed in Georgia federal court.
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June 07, 2024
White & Case, Latham Lead Aramco's $11.2B Stock Offering
Saudi Arabian state-backed oil giant Aramco on Friday priced an $11.2 billion stock offering within the lower end of its range, guided by White & Case LLP and underwriters counsel Latham & Watkins LLP, representing one of the largest secondary offerings in years.
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June 07, 2024
DLA Piper Steers Tech-Focused SPAC's $250M Filing
Special-purpose acquisition company GigCapital7 on Friday announced plans to raise up to $250 million in an initial public offering, and said that it intends to use the proceeds to fund a future merger with a company in the technology sector.
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June 07, 2024
Shein's Pursuit Of London IPO Proves US-China Rift Persists
Online fashion giant Shein's expected pivot to London rather than the United States for its initial public offering — triggered by persistent tensions between China and the U.S. — will be closely watched by IPO prospects mulling where to list their shares in a dicey geopolitical climate, experts say.
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June 07, 2024
Emboldened SEC Spells Double Trouble For Defense Bar
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division has taken an increasingly aggressive stance in recent years thanks in part to an influx of federal prosecutors joining the agency and court decisions that have gradually become more permissive on parallel civil and criminal investigations, defense lawyers say.
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June 07, 2024
Ex-Director In NYC Mayor's Office Charged With Bank Fraud
A former director in the New York City Mayor's Office during the Bill de Blasio administration has been indicted on charges that he schemed to defraud over a dozen banks out of about $10 million using illegitimate fraud reports to induce reimbursements.
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June 07, 2024
Former Allianz Unit Exec Admits Role In $6B Fund Fraud
A former portfolio manager at Allianz SE's U.S. unit told a Manhattan federal judge Friday that he lied to investors about the risks of the German finance giant's now-defunct Structured Alpha Funds, admitting to his role in a $6 billion fraud.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.
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What Financial Cos. Must Know For Handling T+1 Settlements
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted a groundbreaking new T+1 settlement rule for securities transactions in order to improve market efficiency — but it presents significant challenges for the financial services industry, especially private equity firms, hedge funds and institutional asset managers, says Adam Weiss at Petra Funds Group.
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CFTC Moves May Boost Interest In Voluntary Carbon Markets
As companies try to reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions, many have been cautious about embracing voluntary carbon credit markets — but recent moves by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to regulate this sector may address some of its well-known challenges, say Deborah North and Laura Daugherty at Cleary.
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3 Strategies For Aggressive Judgment Enforcement
As illustrated by the many creditors of Citgo Petroleum Corp. who may walk away empty-handed — despite the company's court-ordered sale — it is important to start investigating counterparty assets and planning for enforcement even before obtaining a judgment, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
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How Biotech Cos. Can Utilize Synthetic Royalty Financing
Synthetic royalty transactions have been on the rise as a funding structure for biotechnology companies, but questions have arisen surrounding how such transactions work, and structuring them correctly requires a nuanced understanding, say Todd Trattner and Ryan Murr at Gibson Dunn.
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The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.
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As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders
The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.
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Series
Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.
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The Questions Around Prometheum's SEC-Compliant Strategy
While the rest of the crypto industry has been engaged in a long-running battle to escape the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's jurisdiction, a once-obscure startup called Prometheum has instead embraced the SEC's view to become the first crypto special-purpose broker-dealer, but it's unclear whether it can turn its favored status into a workable business, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.
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Reverse Merger Tips For Biotechs After SEC's Recent Actions
Several recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission developments could limit the viability of reverse mergers for biotech companies, and will require additional creativity and analysis for private companies looking to go public, say attorneys at Orrick.
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Black-Led VC Fund Case Could Hinge On Nature Of Grants
Organizations whose missions involve any manner of race-conscious funding should closely monitor arguments this week in American Alliance v. Fearless Fund, a case filed against a grant program that seeks to address the gap in venture capital funding for Black women-led businesses, which will examine whether grants are charitable under Civil Rights Act Section 1981 liability, say Kali Schellenberg and John Stapleton at LeVan Stapleton, and Kenneth Trujillo at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.
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Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property
In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Takeaways From SEC's Aggressive Cybersecurity Moves
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's intensifying policy on cybersecurity and securities violations in the wake of a data breach — like its enforcement action against SolarWinds and its security officer — has emboldened shareholders to file related suits, creating a heightened threat to public companies, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.