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Securities
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July 30, 2024
SEC Asks To Amend Token Claims In Binance Complaint
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a D.C. federal court that it plans on amending its claims concerning third-party tokens that traded on crypto exchange Binance's platform, according to a Tuesday status update in the enforcement suit.
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July 30, 2024
AI Dominance In Startup Funding Has Small Biz Concerned
Except for funding for artificial-intelligence startups, early-stage companies are struggling to raise capital amid higher interest rates and lean markets for initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions, members of a small business-focused panel advising the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday.
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July 30, 2024
Activist Investor Demands Against US Firms Spike 9%
The number of U.S. companies subject to shareholder activist demands in the first half of this year increased to 449 from 412 companies in the first half of last year, representing a 9% jump, according to a report published Tuesday by Diligent Market Intelligence.
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July 30, 2024
Houston Energy CEO Ran $21M Stock Scheme, SEC Says
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sued the head of a Houston energy company in Texas federal court, alleging he raised more than $21 million from over 300 investors nationwide through a fraudulent and unregistered offering of preferred stock in his fuel-blending company.
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July 30, 2024
Katten Adds Mayer Brown Practice Group Co-Chair In Chicago
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has added to its financial markets litigation and enforcement practice group an attorney who formerly co-chaired a similar practice at Mayer Brown LLP and also has previous in-house experience.
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July 30, 2024
Ackman's New Investment Fund Lowers IPO Target To $2B
Bill Ackman's new investment fund Pershing Square USA Ltd. set a $2 billion fundraising target for its initial public offering, down significantly from earlier estimates, according to a securities filing Tuesday, under guidance from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and underwriters' counsel Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.
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July 30, 2024
Rising Star: Sullivan & Cromwell's Leonid Traps
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP partner Leonid Traps helped win a motion dismissing a multibillion-dollar securities fraud suit against Citigroup and aided AT&T in securing a full dismissal of two rare multilevel court cases seeking billions of dollars in damages, earning him a spot among the securities attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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July 29, 2024
Truth Social SPAC, Sponsors Battle In Chancery Over Payout
Attorneys for a founding investor in the special purpose acquisition company that took former President Donald Trump's social media site public told a Delaware vice chancellor Monday the SPAC ignored its charter and withheld information about the deal in order to avoid paying tens of millions in anti-dilution protection.
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July 29, 2024
Virtu Pushes For SEC Crackdown On 'Penny Stock' Listings
Virtu Financial Inc. is pressing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to force Nasdaq and other exchanges to crack down on so-called penny stocks, petitioning the agency to initiate rulemaking that would stop companies struggling to stay above $1 per share from continuing to trade on the exchanges.
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July 29, 2024
Wells Fargo Can't Escape Investors' Sham Diverse Hiring Suit
A California federal judge refused to throw out a proposed securities class action against Wells Fargo alleging it conducted sham interviews to meet diversity targets that triggered a stock drop when the truth came to light, finding Monday that the investors had plausibly alleged the bank's ill-will.
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July 29, 2024
NFT Artists Bring Preemptive SEC Suit To Protect Artwork
Two NFT artists sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Louisiana federal court on Monday to protect their forthcoming nonfungible token projects from a potential enforcement action, with the artwork itself seeking to highlight a perceived regulatory overreach into NFTs.
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July 29, 2024
BofA, Citi Among Banks In $80M Deal To End Bond-Rig Suit
Units of Bank of America, Citigroup and other banking giants have agreed to pay $80 million to settle investor claims accusing them of conspiring to fix European government bond prices.
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July 29, 2024
Firm Partners Ask Fla. Court To Toss Investor's Derivative Suit
Two partners in a law firm have asked a Florida court to dismiss a derivative lawsuit brought by an investor claiming that they orchestrated a litigation funding fraud, arguing that the investor has no right to bring the suit without a vote from the other members of the company.
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July 29, 2024
Magistrate Eyes Cuts To Norfolk Southern Investors' Suit
A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing a portion of a securities suit filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, reasoning that the retirement funds serving as lead plaintiffs fell short of pleading standards.
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July 29, 2024
Ackman's IPO For New Pershing Square Fund Faces Delay
Hedge-fund giant Bill Ackman is still proceeding with an estimated $2.5 billion to $4 billion initial public offering of his new closed-end investment fund, Pershing Square USA Ltd., though the date of pricing is undetermined, according to the new fund.
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July 29, 2024
SEC OKs Award Of More Than $37M To Whistleblower
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has awarded more than $37 million to an anonymous whistleblower the agency credits for spurring a successful enforcement action despite retaliation from an unidentified employer.
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July 29, 2024
SEC Says Penny Stock CEO Lied About COVID-19 Deal
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday sued former penny stock company CEO Juan Campo for securities fraud, alleging he lied to investors about acquiring a Colombian cannabis company and about the company's development of a temperature screening device during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things.
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July 29, 2024
Commonwealth Financial Attacks SEC's 'Staggering' $93M Win
Commonwealth Financial Network has asked the First Circuit to overturn what it called a "staggering" $93 million penalty it was ordered to pay to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, arguing that its alleged failure to disclose conflicts of interest to investor clients was harmless.
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July 29, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Litigation linked to Elon Musk sparked several filings in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week, including a call for sanctions and hand-wringing about a proposed multibillion-dollar attorney fee. Here, Law360 looks at this and other highlights from last week in Delaware's Chancery Court.
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July 29, 2024
White Collar Update: 4 Developments To Watch
White-collar lawyers are on the lookout for U.S. Department of Justice actions targeting artificial intelligence "snake oil," aggressive pandemic-relief fraud prosecutions, and carrots for corporations and whistleblowers who expose misconduct. Here's a look at some key developments to watch in the second half of 2024.
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July 29, 2024
Rising Star: Skadden's Tansy Woan
Tansy Woan of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has used her litigation prowess to score a one-of-a-kind victory in a crypto case, as well as successfully argue for the Second Circuit to free JPMorgan Chase from a long-running lawsuit, earning her spot as one of the securities attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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July 29, 2024
Ex-Pharma Exec Seeks Leniency After SEC Contempt Plea
A former pharmaceutical executive is hoping to avoid jail after his use of an alias to circumvent a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ban on finance work landed him a criminal contempt conviction, while Boston federal prosecutors are seeking up to 10 months in prison.
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July 29, 2024
Remainder Of DOL Fiduciary Regs Blocked In Texas
A Texas federal judge froze the remainder of a package of regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor expanding the definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, after a judge blocked most of the policy in an adjacent district the day before.
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July 26, 2024
Ex-Wells Fargo Director Wins $22M Verdict In ADA Trial
A North Carolina federal jury Friday determined Wells Fargo must pay a former managing director $22.1 million after he accused the bank of failing to reasonably accommodate him for a paralyzed colon and bladder, and subsequently laid him off to avoid dealing with his disability, according to his attorney.
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July 26, 2024
SEC Sues Banker And Ex-Prosecutor Alleging $1.6M Fraud
A Georgia banker fraudulently bilked approximately $1.6 million from unsuspecting investors for "furs and furniture" and other expenses while a former Florida prosecutor ignored several red flags when holding on to the investments, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a Georgia federal court.
Expert Analysis
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ShapeShift Fine Epitomizes SEC's Crypto Policy, And Its Flaws
A recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission order imposing a fine on former cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift for failing to register as a securities dealer showcases the SEC's regulation-by-enforcement approach, but the dissent by two commissioners raises valid concerns that the agency's embrace of ambiguity over clarity risks hampering the growth of the crypto economy, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
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2nd Circ. Adviser Liability Ruling May Shape SEC Enforcement
The Second Circuit’s recent decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Rashid, applying basic negligence principles to reverse a finding of investment adviser liability, provides a road map for future fraud enforcement proceedings, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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New Concerns, Same Tune At This Year's SIFMA Conference
At this year's Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association conference on legal developments affecting the financial services industry, government regulators’ emphasis on whistleblowing and AI washing represented a new refrain in an increasingly familiar chorus calling for prompt and thorough corporate cooperation, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: Benefits Of MDL Transfers
A recent order from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation highlights a critical part of the panel's work — moving cases into an existing MDL — and serves as a reminder that common arguments against such transfers don't outweigh the benefits of coordinating discovery and utilizing lead counsel, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.
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8 Tips As GCs Prep For New SEC Climate Disclosure Rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted rules governing climate-related disclosures represent a major change to the existing public company disclosure regime, so in-house counsel should begin to evaluate existing systems and resources related to emissions data, and identify the changes that will need to be made, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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An Overview Of Key Financing Documents In Venture Capital
The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent Moelis decision highlights the importance of structuring corporate governance around investor demand, meaning early-stage companies seeking venture funding through sales of preferred stock should understand the legal documents needed to do so successfully, say Daniel Bell-Garcia and Tristan Kaisharis at Winstead.
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Reducing Risk While DOJ Plans New Whistleblower Rewards
In light of the Department of Justice's newly announced plan to create a comprehensive whistleblower reward program to fill the gaps in the current patchwork of federal incentives, companies should mitigate their risk of external claims now by implementing internal systems where employees can confidently and anonymously report concerns, say Caleb Hayes-Deats and Walter Hawes at MoloLamken.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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How Activision Ruling Favors M&A Formalities Over Practice
The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent nod to a proposed class action, alleging shareholder notice violations in Activision Blizzard’s sale to Microsoft, puts practitioners on notice that customary merger and acquisition market practices do not offer protection from potential liability, say John Stigi and Eugene Choi at Sheppard Mullin.
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Takeaways From The 2023 DOJ Fraud Section Report
Attorneys at Wiley discuss notable trends from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently reported Fraud Section activity last year and highlight areas of enforcement to watch for in the future, including healthcare fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
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How New SEC Rule May Turn DeFi Participants Into 'Dealers'
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced a new rule to amend its definition of a securities "dealer," but the change could have concerning implications for decentralized finance and blockchain, as the SEC has suggested it may subject DeFi participants to registration requirements and other regulations, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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How Harsher Penalties For AI Crimes May Work In Practice
With recent pronouncements from the U.S. Department of Justice that prosecutors may seek sentencing enhancements for crimes committed using artificial intelligence, defense counsel should understand how the sentencing guidelines and statutory factors will come into play, says Jennie VonCannon at Crowell & Moring.
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2nd Circ.'s Binance Locus Test Adds Risk For Blockchain Cos.
The Second Circuit’s recent use of the irrevocable liability test to rule a class action may proceed against decentralized crypto exchange Binance heightens the possibility that other blockchain-based businesses with domestic customers and digital infrastructure will find themselves subject to U.S. securities laws, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.