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Compliance
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December 10, 2024
Utah Counties' Narrow NEPA Test Meets High Court Critics
Utah counties looking to narrow courts' ability to review federal agencies' environmental analyses of proposed projects hit roadblocks Tuesday from skeptical U.S. Supreme Court justices and the U.S. Department of Justice, who said the proposed limits go too far.
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December 10, 2024
FinCEN Says CTA Still Constitutional In Post-Injunction Alert
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has alerted companies that they do not currently need to file so-called beneficial ownership information with the agency after a federal judge's nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Corporate Transparency Act, though the bureau maintained that the law calling for such information is constitutional.
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December 10, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Won't Revive Tesla Worker's Whistleblower Suit
A split Ninth Circuit refused to revive a terminated Tesla worker's Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claim alleging he was retaliated against for reporting unlawful activity, ruling on Tuesday the worker is precluded from re-litigating in district court whether he engaged in protected activity, since an arbitrator already decided that he did not.
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December 10, 2024
Trump Taps Ferguson As FTC Chief, Kressin Atty To GOP Seat
President-elect Donald Trump named current Federal Trade Commission member Andrew N. Ferguson to be its next chair Tuesday night while also picking Kressin Meador Powers LLC partner Mark Meador, a former deputy chief counsel to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to round out the FTC as its third Republican member.
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December 10, 2024
4th Circ. Casts Doubt On Broker's FINRA Challenge
A Fourth Circuit panel wondered Tuesday whether it was too soon to hear one North Carolina broker's constitutional challenge against the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, with the circuit judges pointing out that FINRA's case against the broker was not yet over.
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December 10, 2024
FTC's Holyoak Says Chair OK With Some Cartels
Federal Trade Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said Lina Khan, the agency's current chair, is suggesting enforcers ignore anticompetitive activity if it's not being committed by what she considers "dominant firms."
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December 10, 2024
FCC Cracks Down Again On Failures To Block Robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission will consider tougher compliance rules to ensure voice service providers take part in efforts to cut robocalls, also saying Tuesday that more than 2,400 providers could face enforcement action for failing to meet existing filing requirements.
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December 10, 2024
AGs Urge FCC To Remove 'Pain' From Customer Service Calls
A coalition of state attorneys general called Tuesday for the Federal Communications Commission to take some of the "pain" out of customer service calls in FCC-regulated industries from internet and voice calls to broadcast satellite.
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December 10, 2024
NC Addiction Clinic To Pay $825K To End Medicaid Fraud Suit
An addiction treatment and behavioral health clinic based in Raleigh will pay $825,000 to settle claims that it billed the North Carolina Medicaid program for medically unnecessary drug tests and treatment support programs, the state Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday.
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December 10, 2024
SEC Says Xtreme Fighting CEO And GC Defrauded Investors
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Xtreme Fighting Championships and CEO Steven Smith of defrauding investors by selling millions of dollars of stock in the martial arts organization without disclosing the involvement of Smith or its criminally charged general counsel, according to a Florida federal lawsuit.
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December 10, 2024
Crypto Groups Rally Against Reappointing SEC's Crenshaw
Cryptocurrency industry groups are pushing back on a potential second term for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw with an online ad campaign and letters to lawmakers ahead of a Senate Banking Committee vote Wednesday on the Democrat's confirmation.
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December 10, 2024
ESPN, Fox Blast DOJ 'Formalistic Distinction' In Fubo Case
ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery pressed the Second Circuit to upend a lower court injunction against their sports-only streaming service, taking particular aim at U.S. Department of Justice arguments asserting the sports giants can't claim they have a right to refuse dealing with rivals after joining forces.
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December 10, 2024
NJ AG Law Director Will Return To Lowenstein Sandler
The director of the Division of Law in the New Jersey Office of Attorney General is returning to private practice at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, making way for the division's deputy to ascend to the top role.
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December 10, 2024
Judge Says Indiana Grid Project Law Is Discriminatory
An Indiana federal judge has blocked the state's right of first refusal law granting Indiana-based utilities the first attempt at securing new transmission project contracts in the state, saying the law discriminates against out-of-state economic interests.
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December 10, 2024
Philly Court Leadership Orders Sheriff To Improve Security
Leadership in Philadelphia's court system ordered the city sheriff's office this week to devise written plans to counteract what it said was a growing number of security incidents at judicial facilities over the last two years.
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December 10, 2024
NY AG Refuses To Drop $489M Fraud Case Against Trump
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced it won't drop its civil financial fraud case against President-elect Donald Trump, two of his sons, his companies and their executives, saying his upcoming inauguration has no bearing on litigating his appeal of the $489 million judgment.
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December 10, 2024
$24.6B Kroger-Albertsons Merger Blocked By 2 Judges
Kroger's planned $24.6 billion purchase of Albertsons suffered double whammy blows Tuesday, first from an Oregon federal judge who temporarily blocked the deal in a Federal Trade Commission challenge, and then from a Washington state judge who sided with the state's attorney general and issued a permanent, national block.
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December 10, 2024
NY Appealing Judge's Dismissal Of Plastic Pollution Suit
New York Attorney General Letitia James is appealing a harshly worded ruling that dismissed her suit against PepsiCo Inc. and its Frito-Lay subsidiary over plastic pollution on the Buffalo River.
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December 10, 2024
Ex-Conn. Utility Execs Win Pretrial Diversion Bid In 2nd Case
A Connecticut federal judge has approved pretrial diversion agreements between federal prosecutors and two former public utility executives, pausing a second prosecution as the duo prepare to serve prison sentences in a case alleging they misused public funds.
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December 09, 2024
Calif. Floats Requiring Social Media Warning Labels
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday introduced a bill that would require a "black box warning" to be displayed on social media platforms to remind users of the risks of prolonged social media use, citing research linking children's and teens' use to health harms like depression.
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December 09, 2024
CFPB Eyes Credit Reporting Rule To Address 'Coerced Debt'
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday that it is looking into new credit reporting safeguards for consumers who have experienced domestic violence or other abuse, launching a rulemaking push that will carry into the next Trump administration.
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December 09, 2024
High Court Again Weighs Reach Of Federal Fraud Statutes
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the question of whether using deceptive means to induce a business transaction with no contemplation of causing economic loss constitutes mail or wire fraud, the latest challenge in a line of cases that seeks to narrow the reach of federal fraud statutes.
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December 09, 2024
Boeing Supplier Wins Bid To Block Texas Biz Records Inquiry
A Texas federal judge on Monday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation granting Spirit AeroSystems Inc.'s bid to permanently enjoin a Texas statute requiring businesses to immediately comply with the state's demand to examine business records.
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December 09, 2024
Morgan Stanley Pays SEC $15M Over Theft By Ex-Reps
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a $15 million penalty against a Morgan Stanley subsidiary Monday, saying the company failed to put in place procedures that may have earlier caught four former employees who spent years stealing from clients.
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December 09, 2024
Petrobras Calls On Justices To Review Samsung RICO Suit
The American subsidiary of Brazil's state-owned oil company called on the U.S. Supreme Court to unravel the Fifth Circuit's decision blocking its racketeering claim against Samsung Heavy Industries over an alleged $1.6 billion bribery scheme involving drillship contracts.
Expert Analysis
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To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations
A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.
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Mitigating Construction Employers' Risks Of Discrimination
Recent heightened government scrutiny of construction industry employment practices illustrates the need for nondiscriminatory recruitment and proactive assessment of workforces and worksites, including auditing for demographic disparities and taking documented steps to address such issues, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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With Esmark Case, SEC Returns Focus To Tender Offer Rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent enforcement action against Esmark in connection with its failed bid to acquire U.S. Steel indicates the SEC's renewed attention under Rule 14e‑8 of the Exchange Act on offerors' financial resources as a measure of the veracity of their tender offer communications, say attorneys at MoFo.
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Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork
Conflicting earned wage access laws across the country, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently issued rule, mean providers must adopt a proactive compliance approach and adjust business models where needed, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean
A recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposal pertaining to the Change in Bank Control Act has the potential to create uncertainty around investments by mutual fund complexes in banking organizations, which represent a stable source of capital for the banking industry, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk
The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.
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Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.
Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.
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What's Inside Feds' Latest Bank Merger Review Proposals
Recent bank merger proposals from a trio of federal agencies highlight the need for banks looking to grow through acquisition to consider several key issues much earlier in the planning process than has historically been necessary, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next
The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure
Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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Making Sure Your Co. Isn't In The Next Section 13(f) Sweep
Enforcement actions taken against 11 institutional investment managers for alleged failures to file forms required by Section 13(f) of the Securities Exchange Act serve as a reminder that firms should carefully monitor their obligations to avoid becoming the target of the next enforcement sweep, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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11th Circ. Kickback Ruling May Widen Hearsay Exception
In a $400 million fraud case, U.S. v. Holland, the Eleventh Circuit recently held that a conspiracy need not have an unlawful object to introduce co-conspirator statements under federal evidence rules, potentially broadening the application of the so-called co-conspirator hearsay exception, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.