A recent jury verdict finding Chiquita Brands International ("Chiquita") responsible for deaths by a Colombia paramilitary group marked the first "bellwether trial" in a massive multidistrict litigation and is reported to be...more
The Indian Supreme Court invokes curative jurisdiction to set aside US$960 million award to avoid a "grave miscarriage of justice," seven years after the award creditor received a favorable award in India and three years...more
The Situation: On January 12, 2024, the United Kingdom signed up to the Hague Convention of July 2, 2019, on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters ("Hague 2019")....more
In Short -
The Situation: On June 26, 2023, the National Financial Reporting Authority of India ("NFRA") issued a circular reminding statutory auditors in India of their obligation under Indian law to report to the Indian...more
In Short -
The Situation: In the last month, two courts in the Ninth Circuit allowed human rights focused cases to proceed beyond the pleading stage. These cases seek to impose liability on U.S.-based companies for alleged...more
8/2/2023
/ Aiding and Abetting ,
Alien Tort Statute ,
California ,
Child Labor ,
CLRA ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Customers ,
Domestic Corporations ,
False Advertising ,
Forced Labor ,
Greenwashing ,
Human Rights ,
Subsidiaries ,
Suppliers ,
Torture Victims Protection Act of 1991 ,
Unfair Competition Law (UCL)
The U.S. Supreme Court held that a foreign plaintiff can sue a domestic U.S. judgment-debtor under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO") for the debtor's fraudulent domestic efforts to avoid...more
In Short -
The Situation: Terrorists may be increasingly turning to cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions and finance terrorist acts, as recent prosecutions and reports suggest. Under the Antiterrorism Act ("ATA"), as...more
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided Twitter v. Taamneh, clarifying the meaning of key provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act ("ATA") and the pleading standard for aiding-and-abetting claims under that law....more
In 2022, anti-money laundering ("AML") and sanctions controls were at the center of regulatory and enforcement activities in the United States and abroad. Globally, governments have continued to recognize the impact of AML...more
On 2 December 2022, the European Commission proposed a new Directive aiming to unify the approach taken by its Member States to enforce European Union ("EU") sanctions and criminalize their violations (the "proposal")....more
In Short -
The Situation: In October 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ" or "Department") announced a guilty plea in its first-ever corporate "material support" prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B of the...more
Chile is currently considering a new Constitution—due to be put to a referendum in September—and foreign investors should be aware of its potential impact on their investments in the country. The proposed changes in the draft...more
JASTA's stated intention is to provide litigants "with the broadest possible basis" for relief against entities that have "provided material support, directly or indirectly, to foreign organizations or persons that engage in...more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
UK Introduces New Climate-Related Disclosure Regulations for UK Companies and LLPs -
The Companies (Strategic Report) (Climate-related Financial Disclosure) Regulations 2022 ("the...more
6/1/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy Reform ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Introduction -
Last year, Peru elected Pedro Castillo as its new President. As a candidate, President Castillo ran as a left-wing socialist from Peru's Marxist party, Perú Libre. His presidential campaign agenda was built...more
As climate change and energy transition play an increasingly important role in the decision-making of private and government entities, one issue is bound to become the focus of attention: Is there a potential conflict between...more
5/24/2022
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Charter Treaty ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Reform ,
Environmental Policies ,
Foreign Investment ,
Infrastructure ,
International Treaties ,
Paris Agreement ,
Pollution Control ,
UNFCCC
Last year, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ("AMLO") began a series of efforts aimed at reforming Mexico's electricity sector in a manner that would reverse the rights granted to private investors in 2013 (the...more
2021 was a precedent-setting year for anti-money laundering (“AML”) enforcement and legislation. The digital assets industry continued to grow exponentially, driving the associated AML risks to the forefront of regulatory...more
3/10/2022
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
BSA/AML ,
Corruption ,
Cryptoassets ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) ,
Terrorist Financing Regulations ,
Virtual Currency
The delegated regulation includes a new comprehensive and unified reporting methodology to direct investments toward environmentally sustainable economic activities....more
3/1/2022
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) ,
Net Zero ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Taxonomy
Climate change litigation is often viewed by companies as a risk. However, it is also an opportunity—if brought in the right forum—for companies exposed to certain climate-related government measures to vindicate their...more
Latin America is experiencing a new wave of resource nationalism and government intervention, as more populists come to power spurred on by ideological shifts and indigenous movements....more
On September 30, 2021, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent the Reform Initiative to the House of Representatives and the United Commission of Constitutional and Energy Matters for review and plenary voting....more
The Situation: The front-runner in Peru’s Presidential run-off election, Pedro Castillo, has vowed to extract substantially more in payments from mining companies, renegotiate tax stabilization agreements, or potentially even...more
The Situation: Many banks and other businesses face lawsuits under the Anti-Terrorism Act ("ATA") seeking to hold them liable for providing services to customers with varying degrees of often-attenuated connections to...more
Companies face a myriad of issues as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. One issue is how to address allegations of misconduct involving corporate personnel, including whether and how to conduct internal...more