The government prosecutes insider trading against insiders who convey material nonpublic information (“tippers”) and outsiders who acquire material nonpublic information (“tippees”) through two avenues: civil proceedings...more
In August 2021, the SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court charging Matthew Panuwat, a former employee of Medivation Inc., an oncology-focused biopharma, with insider trading in advance of Medivation’s announcement...more
On December 27, 2022—nearly 18 months after hearing oral arguments—the Second Circuit issued its new opinion in United States v. Blaszczak, an important insider trading case involving the misappropriation of confidential...more
In Dirks v. SEC, 463 U.S. 646 (1983), the United States Supreme Court found that a tippee may be liable for trading on the basis of material, nonpublic information if he or she knows that the tipper disclosed inside...more
On Tuesday, the SEC announced that it had filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court charging a former employee of Medivation Inc., an oncology-focused biopharma, with insider trading in advance of Medivation’s announcement...more
The Second Circuit yesterday affirmed the insider trading conviction of the principal of a potential acquiror who, in breach of a nondisclosure agreement with a potential target company, had provided a tippee with nonpublic...more
I have long advocated for a federal statutory definition of insider trading because I believe that the current approach has been for the courts to convict first and then explicate the theory supporting the conviction in a...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an opinion in United States v. Blaszczak on December 30, 2019 that could significantly affect the prosecution of criminal insider trading cases. The Second Circuit...more
On December 30, 2019 the Second Circuit issued its opinion in United States v. Blaszczak, finding that the government can criminally prosecute insider trading under 18 U.S.C. 1348 without proving personal benefit to the...more
On Dec. 5, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Insider Trading Prohibition Act (ITPA) by a vote of 410-13. If passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President, the bill will establish the first...more
Chapter 2: Insider Trading: Focus on Subtle and Complex Issues - Many hedge funds routinely face insider trading concerns as they trade equity or debt. Sometimes these issues are fairly obvious, such as where the fund...more
The Second Circuit confirmed this week that a "meaningfully close personal relationship" is not required for insider-trading liability where a tipper discloses inside information as a gift with the intent to benefit the...more
Just in time for the annual season of work holiday parties and family gatherings, the United States Supreme Court unanimously confirmed that leaking material non-public information to a close relative who then trades in...more
In its first insider trading ruling in almost 20 years, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that a person can be held criminally liable for passing inside information to a friend or...more
A recent Supreme Court decision provides new guidance in the area of insider trading liability without personal benefit, and resolves an existing split between the Ninth Circuit and Second Circuit Court of Appeals. In Salman...more
On December 6, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its first insider trading decision in nearly two decades unanimously affirming the Ninth Circuit and holding that an insider’s “gift” of confidential information to a...more
Friends and relatives of corporate insiders who knowingly receive and trade on inside information now confront greater exposure for federal securities laws violations. On December 6, 2016, the Supreme Court held in United...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has clarified what constitutes illegal insider trading by making it easier for the government to bring such cases. In a Dec. 6, 2016, unanimous decision in Salman v. United States, the court held that...more
Today, the United States Supreme Court held that an individual may be convicted of insider trading after receiving an investment tip from an insider who obtained no direct financial benefit from the disclosure. In a unanimous...more
In its decision issued yesterday in Salman v. United States, 580 U.S. __ (2016), the United States Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a criminal insider trading conviction even though there was no evidence that the tipper...more
On December 6, 2016, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Salman v. United States, holding that a tipper’s gift of confidential, inside information to a trading relative constituted a sufficient personal benefit...more
Significant decision comes after nearly two decades of silence. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the US Supreme Court has weighed in on insider trading law and handed a victory to the government and its insider...more
A unanimous Supreme Court reaffirmed the “gifting” theory of insider trading under Dirks and rejected Newman “to the extent” it required more. The Court’s long-standing rule in Dirks v. SEC, 463 U.S. 646, 664 (1983)...more
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court held that an individual may be convicted of insider trading after receiving an investment tip from an insider who obtained no direct financial benefit from the disclosure. In a...more
The Supreme Court confirmed today that the "personal benefit" required to establish a claim for insider trading can consist of making a gift of material, nonpublic information to a family member or friend and that an exchange...more