Key Points -
- In 2024, securities litigation remained consistent with historical averages, with a slight increase in core filings and cases related to COVID-19 and artificial intelligence.
- The U.S. Supreme Court had an...more
2/27/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Automotive Industry ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Digital Assets ,
Filing Requirements ,
Item 303 ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ,
PSLRA ,
Real Estate Market ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector
On February 10, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, to pause Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) actions for 180 days until she issues revised FCPA...more
2/13/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Compliance ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
Key Points -
- The incoming Trump administration is expected to take a more lenient approach to prosecuting entities, reducing emphasis on bringing actions based on what may be viewed as novel theories.
- Prescriptive...more
1/21/2025
/ CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
Key Points -
- During its 2024 term, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to provide important guidance on the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act’s (PSLRA’s) particularity requirement in NVIDIA Corp. v. E. Ohman J:or...more
12/6/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Automotive Industry ,
Class Action ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Digital Assets ,
E-Commerce ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Sector ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare ,
Investment Adviser ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
NVIDIA ,
Nvidia Corp v E Ohman J or Fonder AB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
PSLRA ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology Sector ,
Trading Platforms
On October 22, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced enforcement actions against several technology companies for making materially misleading disclosures regarding cybersecurity risks and intrusions....more
11/11/2024
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
SolarWinds ,
Technology Sector
Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Insider Trading Claims Against Satellite Operator Investors Based on Stock Sales After FCC Chairman Vote -
In re Silver Lake Grp., LLC Sec. Litig. (9th Cir. July 24, 2024)
What to...more
10/2/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Aerospace ,
Bylaws ,
Cannabis Products ,
Class Certification ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Disclosure ,
FCC ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare ,
Insider Trading ,
Life Sciences ,
Marijuana ,
Mergers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
PSLRA ,
Safe Harbors ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Startups ,
Technology Sector
The U.S. government’s recent complaint in a relator-filed case under the False Claims Act (FCA):
- Marks the first FCA suit in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) has intervened since launching its ongoing Civil...more
Spotlight -
Macquarie Ruling Raises the Bar for Securities Fraud Claims -
Key Points -
- On April 12, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed and vacated the Second Circuit’s decision in Macquarie...more
5/23/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Media ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Real Estate Market ,
Retail Market ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation
Artificial intelligence is not just about chatbots. Increasingly, it is used by government for enforcement, and boards need to prepare for that, just as they need to get ready for upcoming climate disclosure requirements....more
5/21/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Markets ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Machine Learning ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Spinoffs ,
Tax-Free Spin-Offs ,
Taxation ,
Technology ,
White Collar Crimes
The potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to transform business has commanded enormous attention over the past year. Little noted, however, is the U.S. government’s increasing — and increasingly sophisticated — use of AI...more
5/15/2024
/ Analytics ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Investigations ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Technology ,
White Collar Crimes
The US Government Is Using AI To Detect Potential Wrongdoing, and Companies Should Too With agencies such as the SEC and DOJ using AI and other data analytics tools extensively to detect wrongdoing, companies need to adopt...more
4/1/2024
/ Analytics ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Board of Directors ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Communications ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Data Management ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Hong Kong ,
International Data Transfers ,
Machine Learning ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Race Discrimination ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Technology Sector
The use of data analytics to identify potential violations of law has become increasingly sophisticated. Agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have led the charge, employing risk-based data tools to...more
3/26/2024
/ Analytics ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Government Investigations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Self-Reporting ,
Technology ,
Transparency ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
The oversight obligations of boards continue to expand. Recent enforcement actions and new laws in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and supply chains create new challenges for boards, as we explain in this...more
2/19/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Board of Directors ,
Canada ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forced Labor ,
Germany ,
International Labor Laws ,
Life Sciences ,
Machine Learning ,
Manufacturers ,
Mergers ,
NGOs ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Contributions ,
Political Conventions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholders ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
Key Points -
- New SEC rules from 2023 require public companies to report material cybersecurity incidents promptly and detail their cybersecurity risk management strategies in annual reports — requirements that increase...more
The U.S. Supreme Court will likely decide before the end of its current term whether the failure to make a disclosure pursuant to Item 303 of Regulation S-K can serve as the basis for a securities fraud claim under Section...more
12/5/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Security ,
Dismissals ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Life Sciences ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Mergers ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Regulation S-K ,
Scams ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Token Sales
A whistleblower has triggered a race against time: An internal inquiry, directed by the audit committee and overseen by external counsel, has been launched in response to allegations that revenue was recorded without proper...more
11/13/2023
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Auditors ,
Confidential Information ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Statements ,
Information Sharing ,
Internal Controls ,
Internal Investigations ,
Privilege Waivers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholders ,
Whistleblowers ,
Work-Product Doctrine
Boards routinely confront an array of difficult issues. In this issue of The Informed Board, we tackle four of the thorniest and most topical:
- How to preserve the integrity of a deal process where a key fiduciary (say,...more
11/9/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Information Sharing ,
Internal Investigations ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
IRS ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Partnerships ,
Shareholders ,
Wealth Tax
On October 30, 2023, the SEC filed a litigated complaint against SolarWinds, a software development company, and Timothy Brown, its chief information security officer (CISO). The SEC alleges that from October 2018, when...more
11/7/2023
/ Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Disclosure ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Information Security ,
Information Technology ,
Popular ,
Risk Management ,
Risk Mitigation ,
SolarWinds
In a speech on October 24, 2023, the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Enforcement Division, Gurbir Grewal, described the scenarios in which the commission would bring an enforcement action against...more
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Analyzing the Recent Ripple and Terraform Decisions -
Key Points -
- In July 2023, Judges Torres and Rakoff in the Southern District of New York issued rulings on whether digital asset sales...more
9/15/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Media ,
Mergers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Technology Sector
Suppose you are a member of an audit committee and learn about a whistleblower complaint alleging wrongdoing at the company. Maybe it’s just an aggrieved former employee, and it has no merit. Maybe you should direct the...more
Short sellers make their money by publishing information that attacks a company in order to drive down its share price. How can a company prepare? And what should it not do in the face of a short attack? We offer some tips in...more
9/7/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delisting ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Internal Investigations ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sellers ,
Share Buybacks ,
Shareholders ,
Short Selling ,
UK
Supreme Court Hears Argument on Traceability Requirement in Circuit-Split Slack v. Pirani -
Key Points -
- Before the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in a high-profile securities case...more
6/1/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Appeals ,
Biopharmaceutical ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Corporate Officers ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Dismissals ,
Healthcare ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Insurance Claims ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
Misleading Statements ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
NYSE ,
Oral Argument ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 11 ,
Section 12 ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Violations ,
Slack Technologies Inc v Pirani ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Stock Exchange
Circuits Split Over Whether Targeting Is Necessary for Seller Liability -
Key Points -
- While courts have long held that solicitations must be tailored to a particular audience to precipitate statutory seller liability,...more
3/16/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Bitcoin ,
Business Model ,
Cannabis Products ,
Class Action ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure ,
Dismissals ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Failure To Disclose ,
FinTech ,
Gambling ,
Healthcare ,
Investigations ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Media ,
Mergers ,
Online Platforms ,
Popular ,
Section 12 ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Sellers ,
Social Media ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Telecommunications ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
New SEC rules on Rule 10b5-1 preset trading plans for insiders add lengthy “cooling-off periods” for directors and officers between the time they establish a plan and the date a first trade can be made.
Most multiple...more