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e-Mail Exchanges As Binding Contracts
Contracts, it is generally assumed, have to be “signed, sealed and delivered” to be deemed effective. The explosive growth of the Internet and the increasing use and prevalence of e-mail, however, have radically altered how those formalities can be fulfilled. As a number of recent decisions in New York and elsewhere make absolutely clear, for good or for ill, parties now can conclude a contract, or amend an existing contract, via e-mail. See, e.g., Seymour v. Hug, 413 F. Supp. 2d 910 (N.D. Ill. 2005) (parties reached enforceable settlement agreement by virtue of e-mails).
Consider, for example, the 2005 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Hostcentric Technologies Inc. v. Republic Thunderbolt, LLC, 2005 U.S. Dist. Lexis 11130 (S.D.N.Y. June 9, 2005), where, in a dispute over a commercial lease, the plaintiff tenant sought to enforce a settlement agreement documented in an e-mail exchange against the landlord defendant.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs
The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.
Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations
This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Compliance Officers: Recent Regulatory Guidance and Enforcement Actions and Mitigating the Risk of Personal Liability
This article explores legal developments over the past year that may impact compliance officer personal liability.