A company cannot be sued by private parties under Rule 10b-5(b) for a “pure omission” but can be liable for omissions that render other statements misleading.
“Pure omissions” cannot be attacked in private 10b-5(b)...more
4/24/2024
/ Disclosure ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Item 303 ,
Macquarie Infrastructure Corp v Moab Partners LP ,
Misleading Statements ,
Omissions ,
Regulation S-K ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations
On the heels of record-breaking enforcement in 2022, expect continued aggressive pursuit of Chair Gensler’s priorities in 2023.
The SEC will continue to bring its considerable resources to bear to address ESG-related...more
1/30/2023
/ Audits ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Assets ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Individual Accountability ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
Private Funds ,
Proposed Rules ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Whistleblowers ,
Willful Misconduct
Rule proposals, if adopted, would more closely align de-SPAC mergers with traditional IPOs with respect to disclosure requirements, marketing practices, and gatekeeper obligations.
Proposed Rules would significantly...more
4/18/2022
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EGCs ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Statements ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Mergers ,
Proposed Rules ,
PSLRA ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Shareholders ,
Shell Corporations ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
As 2021 comes to a close, Chair Gensler caps an ambitious inaugural year by proposing sweeping changes to the availability of Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.
The proposed amendments—in which all five Commissioners joined—are...more
As the SEC continues to develop its ESG agenda, a series of recent cases underscores the risk posed by ESG-related litigation.
Although the courts have not been receptive to the most recent round of ESG-related lawsuits,...more
Recent enforcement action could signal expanding the boundaries of misappropriation theory, with significant implications for SEC-regulated entities and other market participants.
With Chair Gensler at the helm, an...more
Chair Gensler’s enforcement agenda begins to take shape as SEC brings sprawling enforcement action against wide range of SPAC participants.
Consistent with prior SEC warnings regarding incentives for Special Purpose...more
7/16/2021
/ Airspace ,
CFIUS ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Statements ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Insider Trading ,
Internal Controls ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Updates from recent U.S. House Committee on Financial Services hearing and proposed legislation -
In light of recent Congressional hearings and proposed legislation, market participants should remain vigilant and prepared...more
March Madness extends into April as the Commission markedly increases its focus on SPACs.
Surprise pronouncements call into question use of the PSLRA safe harbor for projections and accounting treatment for warrants....more
4/19/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Insider Trading ,
Investors ,
New Guidance ,
Offering Documents ,
Proxy Statements ,
PSLRA ,
Registration Statement ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
SPACs have seen exponential growth in 2020, but SPAC sponsors, investors and targets should beware the scrutiny de-SPAC transactions are receiving from the plaintiffs’ bar and the SEC.
2020’s SPAC IPO explosion will...more
12/16/2020
/ Corporate Counsel ,
D&O Insurance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Delaware Supreme Court reinstates case alleging fiduciary breach for failure to disclose CEO’s post-merger compensation discussions.
Deal negotiators should take care not to negotiate their own post-closing compensation...more
7/9/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
Compensation ,
Corporate Counsel ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Executive Compensation ,
Indemnification ,
Merger Agreements ,
Negotiations ,
Personal Liability ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reversal
Ruling suggests a new means of stemming the flood tide of state-court Securities Act claims that followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s Cyan decision in 2018.
But uncertainty lingers as to whether post-IPO public companies can...more
3/26/2020
/ Cyan Inc v Beaver Cty Emps Ret Fund ,
Forum Selection ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Jurisdiction ,
Removal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Violations ,
SLUSA ,
State Law Claims
In a significant ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the potential liability of those involved in disseminating material misrepresentations to potential investors—exposing them to primary liability under SEC Rule...more
4/4/2019
/ False Statements ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Investment Banks ,
Lorenzo v SEC ,
Material Dissemination ,
Misleading Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Scienter ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Violations
Varjabedian ruling challenges long-standing precedent of scienter requirement.
Section 14(e) ruling creates circuit split, increasing odds of Supreme Court review. ...more
A unanimous ruling rejects arguments that SLUSA eliminates concurrent state-court jurisdiction of “covered class actions” brought under the Securities Act of 1933, or at least permits the removal of such actions.
Supreme...more
3/22/2018
/ Class Action ,
Cyan Inc v Beaver Cty Emps Ret Fund ,
Jurisdiction ,
PSLRA ,
Removal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Violations ,
SLUSA ,
Split of Authority ,
State Law Claims
Rejecting contrary SEC regulation, Court holds that Dodd-Frank does not protect whistleblowers who report up internally but do not report out to the SEC.
Supreme Court resolves circuit split over Dodd-Frank Act’s...more
2/27/2018
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Internal Reporting ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
California court: Employers unwise to permit use of company telephones for personal calls — at least if the employer plans to record those calls.
Two-party consent means two-party consent: All parties to a call must be...more
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects “forward-looking statements”—that is, predictions about the future, at least when they are accompanied by “meaningful cautionary statements” that could cause the...more
9/11/2017
/ Appeals ,
Corporate Counsel ,
FDA Approval ,
Form 8-K ,
Fraudulent Marketing ,
Investors ,
Material Misstatements ,
Medical Devices ,
Misleading Statements ,
PLSRA ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities Fraud
Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. § 7243) requires CEOs and CFOs to repay bonuses, incentive- and equity-based compensation, and profits realized on the sale of securities received in the 12 months...more
9/9/2016
/ CEOs ,
CFOs ,
Clawbacks ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Disgorgement ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Statements ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Section 304 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. v. Manning, the U.S. Supreme Court held that mere references to Securities Exchange Act of 1934 violations in a state law claim filed in state court are not sufficient grounds for...more
Until May 12, 2016, trade secret law was the only area of intellectual property law left largely to state courts and state law. But no longer. On May 12, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, Pub. L....more
5/25/2016
/ Asset Seizure ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Employment Contract ,
Ex Parte ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine ,
Misappropriation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Private Right of Action ,
Trade Secrets ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
In recent years, lawsuits challenging mergers and acquisitions have become almost ubiquitous. Virtually all of these cases settled for disclosure-only settlements in which the target’s stockholders received no money. Of...more
SEC Rule 10b-5 makes it unlawful to misstate a material fact (or omit to say something if the omission would render misleading what you do say) in connection with the purchase or sale of a security. The Private Securities...more
Deciding this Term’s big securities case, a unanimous Supreme Court held on March 24 that a statement of opinion does not become actionable under the “untrue statement of material fact” clause of section 11 of the Securities...more
On July 23, 2014, the Delaware Supreme Court in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Indiana Electrical Workers Pension Trust Fund IBEW held that plaintiff stockholders, who make a showing of good cause, can inspect documents concerning a...more