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Mergers & Acquisitions
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May 29, 2024
Celadon Execs Seek Toss Of TA Dispatch Chancery Suit
Former executives of now-defunct Celadon Group Inc. who sold its business assets a few months before the transport and logistics company went bankrupt told Delaware's Court of Chancery on Wednesday that a lawsuit from the disgruntled Alabama buyer should be dismissed because it lacks specifics and rehashes already-settled claims.
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May 29, 2024
Microsoft's Post-Merger Layoffs Cited In I-Told-You-So Appeal
A private group of gamers is pointing to Microsoft's recent layoffs of 1,900 Activision and XBox employees as evidence of market harms stemming from Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., as the group seeks to revive a private antitrust suit challenging the merger in the Ninth Circuit.
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May 29, 2024
TikTok Ban Gets Expedited Sept. Hearing Date At DC Circ.
The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday agreed to expedite the briefing schedule for a constitutional challenge against a federal law banning TikTok from the United States unless it severs its ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., with oral arguments set to be heard this fall.
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May 29, 2024
Handbag Cos. Seek FTC In-House Delay For Fed. Court Row
Tapestry and Capri are asking the Federal Trade Commission to delay an in-house challenge to the planned $8.5 billion merger combining the parent companies of Coach and Michael Kors, arguing the FTC's separate request for a preliminary injunction in New York federal court should take precedence.
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May 29, 2024
DOJ Requests More Info On $2.2B Employee Screening Deal
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested more information about employment screening company First Advantage Corp.'s planned $2.2 billion purchase of rival Sterling Check Corp., extending the review period for the merger.
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May 29, 2024
3 More Burns & Levinson Attys Join Blank Rome In Boston
Less than one month after Blank Rome LLP announced it had opened its Boston office with 25 corporate and finance attorneys from Burns & Levinson LLP, another three Burns & Levinson partners have joined the firm.
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May 29, 2024
Gibson Dunn, Skadden Guide $3B Merck-EyeBio Deal
Gibson Dunn-led Merck said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase ophthalmology-focused biotech company Eyebiotech Ltd., or EyeBio, which is represented by Skadden, for up to $3 billion.
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May 29, 2024
Womble Bond Adds Veteran Energy Transaction Atty In Mass.
An experienced corporate transactional attorney has moved stateside from Thailand to join Womble Bond Dickinson in Boston.
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May 29, 2024
3 Firms Build $627M Take-Private Sale Of Medical Device Biz
Medical device company Surmodics Inc. on Wednesday revealed it has agreed to be bought by private equity giant GTCR for $627 million in a take-private deal built by Kirkland & Ellis, Faegre Drinker and Cleary Gottlieb.
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May 29, 2024
Wachtell, Kirkland Steer $22.5B ConocoPhillips-Marathon Deal
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz-advised ConocoPhillips has agreed to acquire Marathon Oil, represented by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in an all-stock transaction with an enterprise value of $22.5 billion, inclusive of $5.4 billion of debt, the companies said Wednesday.
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May 29, 2024
Royal Mail Owner Accepts £3.6B Bid From Czech Tycoon
The owner of Royal Mail, the British national postal service, said on Wednesday that it has agreed to a £3.57 billion ($4.52 billion) cash buyout offer by a conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.
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May 29, 2024
Anglo American Rejects Extension To £38.6B BHP Offer
British miner Anglo American PLC rejected a last-minute request from BHP Group to extend takeover talks on Wednesday, even though the Australian rival has offered concessions to help sweeten its latest offer of £38.6 billion ($49.3 billion).
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May 28, 2024
Autonomy Founder Says HP 'Panicked,' Tried To Unwind Deal
Autonomy founder Michael Lynch testified Tuesday in a California federal criminal trial over claims he conned HP into overpaying for his company that HP's board "panicked" after news of the acquisition leaked and HP's stock dropped 20%, that HP fired its CEO and that it attempted to back out of the deal.
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May 28, 2024
Chancery Finds Ex-CEO Owed $79M For Share Lockup Losses
The former CEO of a 3D building imaging company is owed more than $79 million in damages in his share value suit against the company, but not the more than $141 million he sought, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled Tuesday.
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May 28, 2024
Consumers, Advertisers Seek Class Cert. Against Meta
Advertisers and consumers suing Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. over allegations of monopolizing the online social media advertising market and misusing users' data in the process have told the California federal court overseeing their claims that they believe it's time for the proposed classes to be certified.
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May 28, 2024
J&J To Pay $1.25B For Global Rights To Eczema Treatment
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to buy the rights to an experimental treatment for eczema from Baker McKenzie-advised Numab Therapeutics for approximately $1.25 billion, the companies announced on Tuesday.
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May 28, 2024
Twitter Investors Seek Cert Over Musk's Backtrack On Buyout
A group of Twitter investors have asked a California federal judge to certify a class over claims Elon Musk fraudulently tweeted about the social media company's alleged bot problem to get out of his $44 billion acquisition, arguing that the case is "perfectly suited for class certification."
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May 28, 2024
Chancery Tosses Some Computing Co. Deal Breach Claims
Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday thinned out the tangled technology investor brawl that emerged from Quantum Computing Inc.'s acquisition of QPhoton LLC in May 2022, dismissing individual parties from the case and narrowing claims against the two companies.
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May 28, 2024
Chevron Confident As Hess Shareholders Approve $53B Deal
Hess Corp. said Tuesday it has received the necessary stockholder approvals to close its $53 billion sale to Chevron Corp., as Chevron separately expressed confidence that it will prevail in an ongoing dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp. and wrap up the regulatory process soon.
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May 28, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Delaware Court of Chancery watchers shifted their focus last week from the courtroom to Dover's legislative hall, as proposed amendments to Delaware's corporate code were finally introduced to state lawmakers. Hearings, decisions and reversals involved Kraft-Heinz, AMC Entertainment and the merger of cryptocurrency companies BitGo and Galaxy. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.
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May 28, 2024
Kroger, Albertsons Must Give FTC Texts, Written Notes
Claims from a pair of multibillion-dollar grocery giants that a discovery request will pose financial burden held no sway over a Federal Trade Commission in-house judge who last week ordered Kroger and Albertsons to produce text messages and handwritten notes from key employees as part of the agency's merger challenge.
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May 28, 2024
Biz Groups Back BofA In Merger Interest Tax Fight At 4th Circ.
Business groups told the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday that they supported Bank of America in its fight against a North Carolina federal court ruling that found the bank wasn't entitled to net the interest on the tax liabilities of Merrill Lynch after the two companies merged.
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May 28, 2024
TransDigm Buys Fellow Aerospace Biz In $655M Cash Deal
Aerospace company TransDigm Inc., advised by BakerHostetler, on Tuesday unveiled plans to acquire Vedder Price PC-led Raptor Scientific for $655 million in cash.
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May 28, 2024
EEX, Nasdaq Power Offer EU Fixes For Deal
European Energy Exchange AG and Nasdaq have offered fixes for potential competition concerns raised by the planned sale of Nasdaq's European power trading and clearing business after enforcers in several European member states referred the deal for a review.
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May 28, 2024
Del. Justices Say Interest Includes Prejudgment Interest
Delaware's top court ruled Tuesday that accrued interest on judgments must include prejudgment interest, in a ruling on a $36 million Delaware Superior Court jury verdict in February 2023 favoring institutional broker-adviser LCT Capital in a merger services dispute with NGL Energy Partners.
Expert Analysis
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Build Or Buy: Assessing Options For Starting A New Bank
Attorneys at Nelson Mullins evaluate key considerations for deciding whether to charter a new bank or purchase an existing one to implement a new business plan, as depressed stock prices, high-profile failures and regulatory stagnation create headwinds for new banks.
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Opinion
Courts Shouldn't Credit Allegations From Short-Seller Reports
Securities class actions against public companies can extend for years and lead to significant settlements, so courts should not allow such cases with allegations wholly reliant on reports by short-sellers, who have an economic interest in seeing a company's stock price decline, to proceed past the motion to dismiss stage, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.
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Unlocking Value In Carve-Out M&A Transactions
Some of the largest mergers and acquisitions in 2023 were carve-out transactions, and despite their unique intricacies and challenges, these transactions offer both buyers and sellers the opportunity to generate outsized returns in an otherwise vigorously competitive landscape, when carefully planned and diligently executed, say Kevin Crews and Rami Totari at Kirkland.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Biden Admin's M&A Rhetoric Outpaces Enforcement Numbers
Despite the Biden administration's rhetoric about the need to reinvigorate antitrust efforts, merger enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division are at 20-year lows, with the agencies opting for deterrence instead, says Ryan Quillian at Covington.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Del. Dispatch: Lessons From Failed ETE-Williams Merger
Attorneys at Fried Frank delve into the Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in Energy Transfer v. Williams to highlight the major monetary consequences of a failed merger, and show why merger agreement drafting and factual context are of utmost importance.
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5 Ways To Leverage Recent DOJ 'Safe Harbor' M&A Policy
Companies can take a series of practical steps both before and after closing to gain maximum advantage from the recently announced U.S. Department of Justice merger and acquisition safe harbor policy and minimize enforcement risk, say Jonny Frank and Jeremy Hirsch at StoneTurn.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Avoiding Bribery, Corruption And Sanctions Risks In Int'l M&A
Given the evolving merger and acquisition landscape — as evidenced by the Justice Department’s recently announced safe harbor policy — acquirers conducting international transactions must build bribery, anti-corruption and sanctions risk considerations squarely into their due diligence processes, say Brian Markley and Jennifer Potts at Cahill Gordon.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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New DOJ Roles Underscore National Security Focus
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent creation of two new leadership positions signals to the private sector that federal law enforcement is pouring resources into corporate investigations to identify potential national security violations, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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How To Navigate The FTC's New Private Equity Frontier
The Federal Trade Commission's recent district court complaint against an anesthesia firm and its private equity partner tests key bounds of the agency's stand-alone authority, and defense strategies can include challenges to both the geographic and the service market fronts, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.