Securities

  • January 08, 2025

    Convicted Ex-Nomura Trader To Settle SEC's RMBS Action

    Ex-Nomura Securities International Inc. trader Michael Gramins, who was convicted in 2017 of scheming to trick mortgage bond buyers, has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle follow-on civil claims, according to an agency filing on Wednesday.

  • January 08, 2025

    Quantitative Trader Accused Of Stealing Firm's Source Code

    New York federal prosecutors have accused a quantitative trader of stealing the secrets of a billion-dollar company's source code from his former employer to use at his own trading firm, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York federal court.

  • January 08, 2025

    Edward Jones Fined $17M Over Customer Transition Fees

    Edward Jones has agreed to pay $17 million to end an investigation into alleged supervisory failures that may have led it to overcharge customers who transitioned from its brokerage division to its advisory division, state regulators announced Wednesday.

  • January 08, 2025

    Oppenheimer Fights Claims Over Ex-Worker's Ponzi Scheme

    Financial services giant Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. is seeking to avoid an arbitration fight brought by three North Carolina residents over a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by a former Oppenheimer employee, arguing in a new suit the individuals have never been customers of Oppenheimer and, therefore, have no standing to bring claims or arbitrate.

  • January 08, 2025

    Colo. Judge Certifies National Class Of Senior Care Investors

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday certified a nationwide class of stockholders in a securities suit alleging a senior health care company made misleading statements in an initial public offering that later caused stock prices to tank after a government audit exposed the falsehoods.

  • January 08, 2025

    Biotech Co.'s Facility Failures Lost Investors Money, Suit Says

    The executives and directors of biotechnology company Humacyte Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in North Carolina federal court alleging the company concealed that its manufacturing facility failed to comply with certain quality assurance practices, leading to delayed regulatory review for its product candidate.

  • January 08, 2025

    Musk Appeals $56B Pay Package Rejection To Del. High Court

    Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk and other top Tesla executives officially appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday a series of chancellor rulings that scuttled Musk's $56 billion, 10-year pay package and awarded a shareholder's counsel $345 million in fees in the yearslong derivative dispute.

  • January 08, 2025

    Shareholder Atty Urges Del. Justices To Revive Skechers Suit

    An attorney for a shareholder of footwear maker Skechers Inc. told Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday that the Court of Chancery had ample reason to keep alive his suit alleging failure to control insider use of corporate aircraft for personal travel that the court dismissed instead.

  • January 08, 2025

    Exiting CFTC Chair Warns Crypto Without Rules 'Ends Badly'

    The outgoing chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rostin Behnam used his final speech on Wednesday to urge lawmakers and regulators to address the "gap" in oversight of cryptocurrency markets.

  • January 08, 2025

    Criminal Case Against Terraform Founder Said To Exceed SEC's

    The $40 billion criminal case against Terraform founder Do Kwon contains evidence such as recordings and seized mobile phones that exceed what securities regulators presented when they prevailed against him at a civil fraud trial, prosecutors said Wednesday.

  • January 08, 2025

    Scarinci & Hollenbeck Taps Ex-DA To Lead Litigation Group

    Scarinci & Hollenbeck LLC announced Wednesday it has tapped a former Kings County, New York, assistant district attorney, who joined the firm from Bressler Amery & Ross PC last year, to lead its litigation department in New York and New Jersey, where the firm has recently expanded its reach. 

  • January 08, 2025

    Chancery Awards $176M Atty Fee In Tesla Board Pay Suit

    Delaware's chancellor approved on Wednesday a $176.16 million Tesla stockholder class attorney fee award to three firms for a settlement of an excessive director compensation suit that is expected to return $734 million to the company through a combination of director stock, option and cash givebacks.

  • January 07, 2025

    Obesity Drug Maker Faces Investor Suit Over IPO Disclosures

    Biopharmaceutical company BioAge Labs Inc. is facing a proposed class action alleging investors in its initial public offering were hurt by plummeting share prices after the company unexpectedly hit the brakes on a clinical trial for its lead product candidate.

  • January 07, 2025

    Energy Co. Inks $126 Million Deal To End SPAC Merger Suit

    Investors suing the now-bankrupt oil and gas company Alta Mesa Resources Inc. have asked a Texas federal judge to preliminarily approve a $126.3 million deal to settle claims that the company and its executives misled investors about the value of a 2017 merger.

  • January 07, 2025

    2nd Circ. Denies BDO Second Shot At AmTrust Appeal

    The Second Circuit Tuesday denied BDO USA LLP's request for a rehearing of an appellate panel's decision not to overturn a suit brought by AmTrust Financial Services Inc. that alleged the auditor did a poor job reviewing the insurer's financial statements.

  • January 07, 2025

    Carlyle Beats Chancery Challenge To $77.5M Authentix Sale

    The Carlyle Group on Tuesday beat a more than four-year-old suit accusing the global investment giant and three directors of authentication provider Authentix Inc. of breaching their fiduciary duties in approving Authentix's $77.5 million sale to private equity firm Blue Water Energy LLP in 2017.

  • January 07, 2025

    AT&T, Biz Groups Urge Justices To Back Cornell's ERISA Win

    Top business and employee benefits industry lobbying groups along with telecommunications giant AT&T urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Cornell University's victory over a federal benefits lawsuit alleging retirement plan mismanagement, in a flood of amicus briefs at the high court before arguments later this month.

  • January 07, 2025

    Coinbase Judge Sends Crypto's Howey Question To 2nd Circ.

    A New York federal judge Tuesday waved through a request from Coinbase to have the Second Circuit weigh in on whether the cryptocurrency transactions on its platform are investment contracts, putting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ongoing registration suit against the crypto exchange on ice for now.

  • January 07, 2025

    5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Check Out In Jan.

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear from Cornell University workers looking to revive a retirement plan mismanagement suit and a former firefighter who says federal disability bias law protects post-employment benefits, while circuit courts will weigh gender-affirming care restrictions and a battle over pension annuity payments. Here, Law360 looks at five arguments that benefits attorneys ought to keep an eye on this month.

  • January 07, 2025

    PCAOB Drops Probe That Led To Constitutional Challenge

    One of the constitutional challenges facing the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board came to an end Tuesday after the board informed a Texas court that it would not pursue an enforcement action against the accounting firm at the center of the case.

  • January 07, 2025

    Biotech Co. Urges NC Panel To Revive Legal Malpractice Suit

    A biotech company that lost a $22 million libel suit brought by a pharmaceutical executive has asked a North Carolina appeals panel for another shot at legal malpractice claims against its former legal counsel, arguing that a savings provision expands the statute of repose for the voluntarily dismissed claim to be revived.

  • January 07, 2025

    MoviePass Parent Co. Ex-CEO Cops To Investor Fraud

    The former CEO of Helios & Matheson Analytics Inc., which owned a majority stake in the defunct discount unlimited movie ticketing service MoviePass, pled guilty Tuesday to making false statements about its business operations and inflating stock prices to attract investors.

  • January 07, 2025

    Grayscale Rival Insists Connecticut Law Allows $2M Suit

    Digital asset management firm Grayscale cannot duck a smaller rival's unfair trade practices suit based on its argument that the relevant Connecticut state law has a carveout for conduct involving securities transactions, Osprey Funds said in opposing summary judgment.

  • January 07, 2025

    Didi Investor Wants To Be New Leader Of Regulatory Suit

    A Didi Global Inc. investor asked Tuesday to sub in as lead plaintiff in a proposed class action claiming the Chinese ride-hailing giant misrepresented the risks of a disciplinary crackdown from the Chinese government over alleged data security violations, as the suit's current leader plans to withdraw from the litigation.

  • January 07, 2025

    Warner Bros., CEO Face 2nd Investor Suit Over Lost NBA Deal

    A second Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder has sued the media giant and CEO David Zaslav in federal court, accusing them of misleading fellow investors about the company's financial strength as attempts to renew its NBA media rights deal were disintegrating.

Expert Analysis

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Crypto.com's Suit Against SEC Could Hold Major Implications

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    Crypto.com's recent lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could affect the operation and regulation of crypto markets in the U.S., potentially raising more questions about the SEC's authority to regulate the industry when it's unclear whether another agency is ready to assume it, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Don't Phone A Friend: Disclosing Friendships With Executives

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement against a former Church & Dwight chairman for violating proxy disclosure rules by neglecting to disclose his friendship with an executive officer amid a CEO search illustrates the perils of relying solely on responses to questionnaires circulated to boards, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles

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    Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • The Ups And Downs Of SEC's Now-Dissolved ESG Task Force

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force, which was quietly disbanded sometime over the summer, was marked by three years of resistance from some stakeholders to ESG regulation, a mixed record in the courts and several successful enforcement actions, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Sound The Alarm About Lost Labor Rights

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    In the Fifth Circuit, recent rulings from judges appointed by former President Donald Trump have dismantled workers’ core labor rights, a troubling trend that we cannot risk extending under another Trump administration, say Sharon Block and Raj Nayak at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.

  • SEC Fine Shows Risks Of Nonpublic Info In X, LinkedIn Posts

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced a settlement with DraftKings over charges arising from posting material nonpublic information on the CEO's social media accounts, highlighting that information posted to company websites and social media sites does not automatically qualify as "publicly disclosed" for purposes of Regulation FD, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • Anticipating Jarkesy's Effect On Bank Agency Enforcement

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, federal courts may eventually issue decisions on banking law principles and processes that could fundamentally alter the agencies' enforcement action framework, and the relationship between banks and examiners, says Brendan Clegg at Luse Gorman.

  • CFTC Anti-Fraud Blitz Is A Warning To Carbon Credit Sellers

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    With its recent enforcement actions against a carbon offset project developer and its senior executives for reporting false information about the energy savings of the company's projects, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staking out its position as a primary regulator in the voluntary carbon credit market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Unpacking State AG Approaches To Digital Asset Enforcement

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    Attorneys at Cozen O'Connor survey recent digital asset enforcement by attorneys general nationwide driven by concerns over regulatory gaps where technological developments and market changes have outpaced legislation.

  • 3 Takeaways From Navy Shipbuilder's Fraud Guilty Plea

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    Austal USA’s recent plea agreement over accounting fraud charges highlights for other companies the benefits of cooperating with government investigations, the challenges posed by senior executives’ involvement in misconduct, and the high stakes for defense contractors, say Michael DeBernardis and Shayda Vance at Hughes Hubbard.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

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