Players On the Move
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Read More › Features
It's Getting Chilly: Federal Courts Continue to Wrestle With Impact of Aggressive DOJ Public Corruption Cases
Joseph F. Savage Jr.
&
Christopher J.C. Herbert
In an environment of aggressive federal prosecution and regulation both businesses and public officials are challenged to identify the permissible line between proper financial transactions — things like campaign contributions and business entertainment — and unlawful payments. And, in what the First Circuit called a "novel theory of Hobbs Act extortion," public officials now have to struggle with the scope of permissible advocacy — when does advocacy for constituents become extortion?
Features
SEC's Reboot on Waiver Requests in Enforcement Settlements
Robert J. Anello
&
Richard F. Albert
SEC Chairman Jay Clayton recently announced a change in how the SEC will consider requests for waivers of certain serious collateral consequences that would otherwise result from settlement of an SEC enforcement action. These collateral consequences, often referred to as "bad actor" or "bad boy" provisions, can vary greatly and may disqualify an entity from conducting certain business or utilizing certain means to offer securities.
Columns & Departments
Business Crimes Hotline
Juliet Gunev
Canadian Clean Fuel Technology Company and Former CEO Pay $4.1 Million to Settle China Related FCPA Case
Columns & Departments
In the Courts
Juliet Gunev
New York Brokerage and Two Executives Ordered to Pay $1.58 Million for Misleading Investors In High-Yield Securities Case
Features
Fifth Circuit Subordinates Claim for Deemed Dividends
Michael L. Cook
"… [P]ayments owed to a shareholder by a bankrupt debtor, which are not quite dividends but which certainly look a lot like dividends, should be treated like the equity interests of a shareholder and subordinated to claims by creditors of the debtor," held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Features
"Mismarking": Developments in Valuation Fraud
Telemachus P. Kasulis
As the DOJ expands its mismarking inquiries beyond stocks and bonds and into areas like private equity, recent cases illuminate the increasing need for robust internal controls designed to eliminate the incentives for an employee or manager to overvalue assets.
Columns & Departments
In the Courts
Juliet Gunev
New Developments In Och-Ziff FCPA Settlement As Brooklyn Judge Grants Victim Status to Former Investors In Restitution Claim over Lost African Mining Venture
Features
They're Baaaaack. Disclosure-Based 14(A) Claims Making a Ghostly Return
Johanna Fricano
Following the Delaware Chancery Court's ruling in In re Trulia, Inc. that effectively closed the door to 14(a) disclosure-based settlements in Delaware state court, federal courts saw an influx of 14(a) "merger objection" litigation. More often than not, these suits are quickly dismissed following the company's issuance of a supplemental proxy with additional disclosures and the parties negotiate a mootness fee. The transaction closes and all parties move on — or so we thought. An emerging trend suggests that exposure to 14(a) claims may coming back from the near dead.
Features
Safe Harbor Shields Shareholders In Tribune Fraudulent Transfer Litigation
Michael L. Cook
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a litigation trustee's motion for leave to file a sixth amended complaint that would have asserted constructive fraudulent transfer claims against 5,000 Tribune Company shareholders. The safe harbor of Bankruptcy Code §546(e) barred the trustee's proposed claims.
Features
"Spoofing" as Fraud: A Novel and Untested Theory of Prosecution
Jodi Misher Peikin
&
Justin Roller
The DOJ has signaled its intent to pursue prosecutions for spoofing — which the law defines as "bidding or offering with the intent to cancel the bid or offer before execution" — aggressively. This article begins with a brief discussion of the elements that the government must prove to establish commodities fraud and wire fraud. It then examines recent spoofing prosecutions that raise important questions about the applicability of the traditional fraud statutes to spoofing-related activity. How the federal courts answer these open questions will have significant implications for participants in the commodities markets.
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