In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has implemented significant changes to its corporate enforcement policies in an attempt to encourage companies to root out and voluntarily disclose corporate misconduct....more
During a speech on September 15, 2022, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced significant policy changes to DOJ’s corporate enforcement strategy. Expanding on her October 28, 2021, speech and the memorandum that...more
Speaking at the ABA Institute on White Collar Crime earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland outlined the Department of Justice’s continued emphasis in prosecuting individuals “who commit and profit from corporate...more
On October 28, 2021, in a speech before the American Bar Association’s 36th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco formally announced that the Department of Justice is taking...more
Based on a recent restitution submission prepared by Faegre Drinker, a federal judge in Harrisburg, Pa. awarded Eli Lilly and Company $1.9 million in restitution from an individual convicted of trafficking in drugs bearing...more
With President Biden’s nomination of D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland for U.S. attorney general proceeding toward confirmation in the Senate, the leader of the nation’s legal department is poised to change enforcement...more
Former President Trump signed into law the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2019 on December 23, 2020. The law prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who provide information to a superior, to a...more
The outcome of the 2020 general election in the United States will determine which of two visions of the investigative and prosecutorial arms of the federal executive branch will prevail for 2021 and beyond. The campaigns and...more
New guidelines from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminal Division emphasize that “individualized determinations” will drive the evaluation of corporate compliance programs. Announced June 1, 2020, these revisions also...more
On May 14, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Lucky Brand Dungarees, Inc. v. Marcel Fashion Group, Inc., No. 18-1086, holding that a party is not precluded from raising defenses submitted in earlier...more
5/17/2020
/ Claim Preclusion ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Counterclaims ,
Defense Preclusion ,
Fashion Branding ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Lucky Brand Dungarees v Marcel Fashion Group ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Release Agreements ,
Res Judicata ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority ,
Subsequent Litigation ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Kelly v. United States, No. 18-1059, holding that for purposes of the federal wire fraud or federal-program fraud statutes, there can be no criminal violation...more
5/10/2020
/ Appeals ,
Bridgegate ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Federal-Program Fraud ,
Governor Christie ,
Intent to Obtain Money or Property ,
Kelly v United States ,
Political Scandals ,
Public Officials ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Wire Fraud
Recent developments show that, while the Department of Justice (DOJ) is willing to offer incentives for cooperation with criminal antitrust investigations, it also is increasing the resources to root out and uncover...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has millions of Americans under orders to stay home and/or restrict their travel and other activities. In times of emergency, state and municipal authorities have vast powers to close institutions and...more
Nationwide, federal prosecution of white-collar offenders may be hitting an all-time low. According to an analysis by Syracuse University, the last time white-collar prosecutions reached this level was during the Reagan...more
On February 25, 2020, the Supreme Court decided Hernandez et al. v. Mesa, No. 17-1678, declining to extend a judicially created damages remedy for a constitutional violation by a federal employee, a U.S. Border Patrol agent...more
2/27/2020
/ Appeals ,
Bivens Claims ,
Border Agents ,
Border Security ,
Cross-Border Shootings ,
Damages ,
Dismissals ,
Foreign Relations ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Hernandez v Mesa ,
Judicial Remedies ,
National Security ,
Reaffirmation ,
SCOTUS ,
Separation of Powers ,
Wrongful Death
On February 25, 2020, the Supreme Court decided Rodriguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, No. 18-1269, overruling a federal common law rule that was used in some circumstances to determine how to distribute the tax...more
2/27/2020
/ Affiliated-Business Arrangements ,
Appeals ,
Bob Richards Rule ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consolidated Tax Returns ,
Federal Common Law ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
IRS ,
Jurisdiction ,
Lack of Authority ,
Parent Corporation ,
Remand ,
Rodriguez v Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. ,
SCOTUS ,
State Law Claims ,
Tax Allocation Agreements ,
Tax Refunds ,
Vacated
On January 14, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander, No. 18-1165, remanding the case to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether to address the views of...more
1/15/2020
/ Appeals ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Officers ,
Dismissals ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employee Stock Purchase Plans ,
ESOP ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
FIfth Third Bancorp v Dudenhoeffer ,
Fraud ,
Inflated Projections ,
Insider Information ,
Misrepresentation ,
Plan Participants ,
Pleading Standards ,
Popular ,
Remand ,
Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v Jander ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Violations ,
Vacated
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is increasing and strengthening its ability to enforce criminal sanctions against conduct related to illegal FDA-regulated products across the globe, according to an October...more
The criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice formalized the criteria it will use to evaluate corporate defendants’ claims of inability to pay fines or monetary penalties. The memorandum, published October 8, 2019,...more
In a sweeping policy change announced this past week, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division announced it will consider corporate compliance at the charging stage in criminal antitrust investigations. This is the first...more
On May 28, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. v. Jackson, No. 17-1471, holding that neither the general federal removal statute nor the removal provision in the Class Action Fairness...more
5/30/2019
/ CAFA ,
Class Action ,
Co-Defendants ,
Counterclaims ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
General Removal Provisions ,
Home Depot USA Inc v Jackson ,
Jurisdiction ,
Remand ,
Removal ,
SCOTUS ,
Third-Party
On June 21, 2018, the Supreme Court decided Wisconsin Central Ltd. v. United States, No. 17-530, holding that a railroad company’s employee stock options are not taxable “compensation” under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act...more
6/22/2018
/ Appeals ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Employee Stock Purchase Rights ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Non-Taxable Income ,
Payment-In-Kind ,
Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) ,
Remand ,
Remuneration ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Stock Options ,
Taxable Income ,
Wisconsin Central Ltd v United States
On June 21, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission, No. 17-130, holding that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s administrative law judges are subject to the U.S....more
6/22/2018
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Appeals ,
Appointments Clause ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Lucia v SEC ,
Officers of the United States ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Special Trial Judges (STJs)
On May 29, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Lagos v. United States, No. 16-1519, holding that the federal law making restitution to victims of certain federal crimes mandatory does not apply to victims’...more
On May 21, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, No. 16-285, holding that the Federal Arbitration Act mandates the enforcement of arbitration agreements providing for individualized...more