On August 1, 2024, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division launched the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (the Program), following up on its announcement in March 2024 of a plan to offer whistleblower awards....more
8/6/2024
/ Anti-Corruption ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Government Agencies ,
Pilot Programs ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
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
On March 7, 2024, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will soon launch a new monetary reward program for people who provide information about corporate or financial...more
Securities Class Actions Show No Signs of Slowing in 2024 -
Key Points -
While the volume of securities class actions filings has remained consistently elevated over the past several years, the composition of the class...more
3/5/2024
/ Class Action ,
Corporate Governance ,
Digital Assets ,
Educational Institutions ,
Energy Sector ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Media ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Retailers ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation
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 -
- In light of the vigorous enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, boards in their oversight role should ensure that their companies conduct heightened diligence on their supply chains, including...more
2/13/2024
/ Canada ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Forced Labor ,
Germany ,
Imports ,
NGOs ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
US Trade Policies ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
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
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
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) National Security Division (NSD), the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign...more
8/1/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Compliance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in the consolidated cases United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, Inc., Nos. 21-1326 &...more
6/12/2023
/ Drug Pricing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reasonable Interpretations ,
Safeco ,
Scienter ,
SCOTUS ,
US ex rel Thomas Proctor v Safeway Inc ,
US ex rel Tracy Schutte et al v SuperValu Inc et al
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
In early March 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released several important updates to its policies related to corporate crime enforcement and compliance programs. We discuss below the following key topics:
(i) The DOJ...more
3/13/2023
/ Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Entities ,
Corporate Financing ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Institutions ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Mobile Devices ,
Pilot Programs ,
White Collar Crimes
On February 22, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) adopted a new policy that establishes a national standard for voluntary self-disclosure credit in corporate criminal enforcement actions brought by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices...more
On January 17, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced revisions to the Criminal Division’s Corporate Enforcement Policy. The revisions follow Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco’s September 2022...more
1/24/2023
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Commodities ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cross-Border ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Investigations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Reporting ,
White Collar Crimes
Cornerstone Research reports that during the first six months of 2022, plaintiffs filed 110 securities class actions, a pace that is generally in line — 2.8% higher — with what we saw in the second half of 2021. Looking...more
12/5/2022
/ Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Futures ,
Healthcare ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Life Sciences ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Stock Options
In a recently published memorandum, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco announced important updates to the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) approach to investigating and prosecuting corporate crimes. In the...more
Derivative Litigation Eighth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Derivative Securities Action - Carpenters’ Pension Fund of Ill. v. Neidorff, No. 20-3216 (8th Cir. 2022) - Following Centene Corporation’s merger with Health Net,...more
9/12/2022
/ Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Derivative Suit ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Materiality ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
SLUSA
This quarter’s issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided between February and April 2022. Cryptocurrency Derivative Litigation Fiduciary Duties – Bylaws Material...more
5/24/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Material Misstatements ,
Mergers ,
Pleading Standards ,
PSLRA ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation
Class Certification -
Central District of California Denies Class Certification in Securities Fraud Action Concerning Company’s Purchase of ADRs -
Stoyas v. Toshiba Corp., No. 2:15-cv-04194 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 7, 2022) -...more
3/2/2022
/ Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Derivative Suit ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Forum Selection ,
Loss Causation ,
Pleading Standards ,
Scienter ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Standing
This quarter’s issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases decided in August and September 2021.
Appraisal Rights - Delaware Supreme Court Enforces Sophisticated Investors’ Waiver of Appraisal...more
12/3/2021
/ Appraisal Rights ,
Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v Goldman Sachs Group ,
Board of Directors ,
Caremark claim ,
Cryptocurrency ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Demand Futility ,
Derivative Suit ,
Federal Rule 12(b)(6) ,
FRCP 23(b) ,
FRCP 9(b) ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
PSLRA ,
RICO ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Sherman Act ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Statute of Repose
This quarter’s issue of Inside the Courts — An Update From Skadden Securities Litigators includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided in May-August 2021....more
10/22/2021
/ Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Derivative Suit ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Loss Causation ,
Mergers ,
Pleading Standards ,
PSLRA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
SLUSA ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Statute of Repose