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Mergers & Acquisitions
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August 14, 2024
Synopsys Escapes Exclusivity Breach Suit At Chancery
Delaware's Chancery Court on Wednesday dismissed private equity firm Sunstone Partners' lawsuit accusing Synopsys Inc. of breaching an exclusivity provision for a potential sale of its security testing services business, saying Sunstone failed to adequately allege Synopsys solicited proposals from other potential buyers.
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August 14, 2024
Top Stories From Real Estate's Latest Quarterly Updates
Catch up on the headlines made by the largest public real estate companies during their latest quarterly earnings calls with investors, from data centers and lease deals to market forecasts and casinos.
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August 14, 2024
4 States Oppose FTC Bid To Block Kroger-Albertsons Deal
Four Republican-led states defended Kroger's proposed $25 billion acquisition of Albertsons in an amicus brief Wednesday, telling the Oregon federal judge overseeing the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to the deal that blocking it would actually "weaken, not protect, competition."
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August 14, 2024
Class Split Disrupts Hearing On $8.7M Sears Suit Settlement
A Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores stockholder that saw its share appraisal case tanked by the company's bankruptcy in late 2022 won Court of Chancery clearance Wednesday to intervene with a novel, alternative claim for recovery through a separate, ongoing SHOS class damages suit.
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August 14, 2024
Tyson Says Mo. Plant Sale Did Not Violate Antitrust Law
Tyson Foods Inc. has asked a Missouri federal court to find that its sale of a shuttered chicken processing plant to egg producer Cal-Maine Foods Inc. did not violate antitrust law after Tyson said a former contract farmer threatened to sue.
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August 14, 2024
BP Unit Can't Escape Truck Stop Suit, Developers Claim
Companies suing a BP subsidiary for terminating their truck stop franchise agreement and leaving them stuck with unrecoverable development costs hit back against its "shotgun approach" to have their suit seeking more than $300 million in damages thrown out, telling an Ohio federal judge that their complaint is grounded in compelling claims.
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August 14, 2024
EU OKs Siemens' $3.8B Sale Of Innomotics To PE Firm KPS
European Union antitrust enforcers signed off Wednesday on German tech conglomerate Siemens AG's plan to sell its Innomotics large motors and drives unit to New York City-based private equity firm KPS Capital Partners, finding that the deal, with an enterprise value of €3.5 billion ($3.9 billion), poses "limited" overlap concerns.
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August 14, 2024
M&A Surge May Bring Opportunities For Cybercriminals
An increase in mergers and acquisitions is creating more openings for cybercriminals to exploit companies and their customers, highlighted by February's Change Healthcare breach and other major hacks, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Resilience.
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August 14, 2024
Squarespace Shareholder Opposes $6.9B Go-Private Deal
Squarespace Inc. minority shareholder Glazer Capital LLC on Wednesday announced its intent to vote against the company's planned $6.9 billion buyout by private equity giant Permira, saying it has "serious concerns" about the fairness and integrity of the sale process.
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August 14, 2024
Playtech Confirms Talks For £2B Sale Of Italian Biz To Flutter
Gambling technology company Playtech PLC confirmed Wednesday it is in talks for the potential sale of its Italian online and retail sports betting unit to the owner of Paddy Power for an estimated £2 billion ($2.57 billion).
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August 14, 2024
Skadden, Davis Polk Guide $2.1B US Food Service Deal
Skadden-led Performance Food Group Co. said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase private equity-backed food service distributor Cheney Bros. Inc., represented by Davis Polk, for $2.1 billion in cash.
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August 14, 2024
Winston & Strawn Adds McDermott Transaction Pros In Texas
Winston & Strawn LLP has expanded its offerings in Texas with the addition of two transactional attorneys as partners in its Houston office, the firm said in a Wednesday statement.
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August 14, 2024
German Defense Biz To Buy US Army Vehicle Co. For $950M
Rheinmetall AG said Wednesday it has agreed to buy U.S. military vehicle parts manufacturer Loc Performance Products LLC for $950 million, as the German defense firm moves to expand its product range globally.
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August 14, 2024
Candy Giant Mars Paying $36B For Pringles-Maker Kellanova
Snack food and candy giant Mars Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase Kellanova, the maker of Cheez-It and Pringles snacks, for $35.9 billion, including assumed debt, in a deal that "enables Mars to further shape the future of snacking" and is the largest merger announced all year.
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August 13, 2024
Anesthesia Co. Says FTC Lacks Authority To Bring 'Rollup' Suit
U.S. Anesthesia Partners has told the Fifth Circuit the Federal Trade Commission lacks authority to bring its case directly in federal court without also filing an administrative case accusing the group of monopolizing the Texas anesthesiology market.
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August 13, 2024
Musk Can't Ax Fraud Suit Over Twitter Buy, Investors Say
A pension fund has fired back at Elon Musk's bid to dismiss the rest of its amended proposed securities fraud class action in New York federal court that alleges the X Corp. CEO covertly bought more than 5% of Twitter's stocks to save more than $143 million before announcing his intent to buy the social media platform.
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August 13, 2024
Kroger Blasts FTC's 'Head-To-Head' Competition Claims
Kroger and Albertsons have assailed the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to their merger, telling an Oregon federal judge that there's no need to preliminarily block the deal because the agency is pushing a "never before applied" theory that reducing head-to-head competition is illegal, which the grocery stores said is undone by the law and the companies' planned divestiture of 579 stores.
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August 13, 2024
Tar Sands Firm Strikes SPAC Merger With Integrated Rail
Tar Sands Holdings II LLC, advised by Holland & Hart LLP, plans to go public following a merger with Winston & Strawn LLP-led special purpose acquisition company Integrated Rail and Resources Acquisition Corp., according to a Monday statement.
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August 13, 2024
3D Printing Co. Investor Wants Merger With Israeli Co. Blocked
An investor of 3D printing solutions company Desktop Metal Inc. is attempting to stop the company's proposed merger with Israeli manufacturing firm Nano Dimension Ltd., saying Desktop Metal's deficient proxy statement shows only benefits for the company's executives and directors.
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August 13, 2024
Flyers Denied Standing To Stop Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines Deal
A Hawaii federal judge has tossed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Alaska Airlines' proposed merger with Hawaiian Airlines, saying a group of airline passengers and travel agents spearheading the lawsuit haven't alleged any concrete harm from the would-be merger.
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August 13, 2024
FTC Makes 2nd Request In Review Of Medical Device Co. Deal
Medical device company Surmodics Inc. disclosed Monday that federal regulators are taking a closer look at its agreement to be acquired by private equity giant GTCR in a $627 million deal.
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August 13, 2024
Ex-Tilray Exec Can Collect $4M Arbitration Award
A Minnesota federal judge has confirmed a more than $4 million arbitration award in favor of a former Tilray Brands Inc. executive who took the company to arbitration over her termination, finding that the pharmaceutical company hasn't established that the award should be vacated.
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August 13, 2024
Australia's Orora Rejects $2.2B Lone Star Buyout Bid
Australia's Orora Ltd. said Tuesday it has rejected a buyout offer from Dallas-based private equity firm Lone Star Funds, stating that the offer of more than $2.2 billion undervalues the packaging company.
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August 13, 2024
Baker McKenzie Guiding Flowserve On $305M Mogas Buy
Baker McKenzie is advising environmental machinery provider Flowserve Corp. on a new agreement to buy valve-maker Mogas Industries, represented by Foley & Lardner LLP, for up to $305 million, Flowserve said in a Tuesday statement.
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August 13, 2024
3 Firms Drive $3.8B Carlyle-Baxter Kidney Care Deal
Kirkland & Ellis LLP-led private equity firm Carlyle on Tuesday agreed to acquire the kidney care unit of Baxter International Inc., represented by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Baker McKenzie, for $3.8 billion, Baxter said in a statement Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
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Preparing For Increased Scrutiny Of Tech Supply Chains
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent action prohibiting sales of a Russia-based technology company's products in the U.S. is the first determination under the information technology supply chain rule, and signals plans to increase enforcement of protections that target companies in designated foreign adversary jurisdictions, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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SVB Ch. 11 Shows Importance Of Filing Proof Of Claim Early
After a New York bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in SVB’s Chapter 11 case denied late claims filing requests related to post-bar date events, parties with potential claims against a debtor may need to seriously consider filing protective proofs of claim, says Kyle Arendsen at Squire Patton.
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Del. Dispatch: 27.6% Stockholder Not A Controller
The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Sciannella v. AstraZeneca — which found that the pharma giant, a 26.7% stockholder of Viela Bio Inc., was not a controller of Viela, despite having management control — shows that overall context matters when challenging transactions on breach of fiduciary duty grounds, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Healthcare's PE Boom
While an influx of capital may provide access to new resources and innovative technologies, the private equity model's method of funding may be fundamentally at odds with patient-first healthcare, and in recent years that inherent tension has gotten ugly, say Eva Gunasekera and Jaclyn Tayabji at Tycko & Zavareei.
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Opinion
A Way Forward For The US Steel-Nippon Deal And Union Jobs
Parties involved in Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel should trust the Pennsylvania federal court overseeing a key environmental settlement to supervise a way of including future union jobs and cleaner air for the city of Pittsburgh as part of a transparent business marriage, says retired judge Susan Braden.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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A Look At State AGs Supermarket Antitrust Enforcement Push
The ongoing antitrust intervention by state attorneys general in the proposed Kroger and Albertsons merger suggests that states are straying from a Federal Trade Commission follow-on strategy in the supermarket space, which involved joining federal investigations or lawsuits and settling for the same divestment remedies, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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How To Survive Shareholder Activism
In an era where shareholder activism is on the rise, companies must identify weaknesses, clearly communicate strategies, update board composition and engage with shareholders consistently in order to avoid disruptive shareholder activism and safeguard the interests of both the company and its shareholders, say J.T. Ho at Orrick and Greg Taxin at Spotlight Advisors.
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'Outsourcing' Ruling, 5 Years On: A Warning, Not A Watershed
A New York federal court’s 2019 ruling in U.S. v. Connolly, holding that the government improperly outsourced an investigation to Deutsche Bank, has not undercut corporate cooperation incentives as feared — but companies should not completely ignore the lessons of the case, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Anna Nabutovsky at Selendy Gay.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State
Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.
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Equity Rights Offering Considerations As Maturity Cliff Looms
Current market uncertainties make an equity rights offering — involving affiliate backstop investors — a cost-effective, capital-raising transaction for distressed companies looking to manage their leverage ahead of the impending maturity of a substantial number of COVID-era debt issuances, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Mitigating Risks Amid 10-Year Sanctions Enforcement Window
In response to recent legislation, which doubles the statute of limitations for actions related to certain U.S. sanctions and provides regulators greater opportunity to investigate possible violations, companies should take specific steps to account for the increased civil and criminal enforcement risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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A Look At Acquisition Trends For Radiopharmaceuticals
As radiopharmaceutical drugs are increasingly used for the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases, interest from Big Pharma entities is following suit, despite some questions around the drugs' capacity to expand beyond their limited niche, says Adrian Toutoungi at Taylor Wessing.