FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report-Episode 66-Visit with the FCPA Professor
Episode 59-the Esquenazi Decision on Instrumentalities Under the FCPA
The Economic Espionage Act (EEA), codified in 18 U.S.C. § 1831-1839, makes the theft of or trafficking in trade secrets for foreign governments, instrumentalities, or agents a criminal act. Prior to passing the EEA, the Trade...more
On August 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released its first Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) Opinion (the “August 14 Opinion”) in six years, in response to a request from a multinational company...more
On July 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) jointly released the second edition of the “Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” which was...more
Under a bill just passed by the Florida Legislature, owners of "special mobile equipment," such as cranes and loaders, are no longer subject to strict vicarious liability under the dangerous instrumentality doctrine for the...more
On March 7, 2016, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals joined its sibling circuits by affirming a ruling from the Southern District of Ohio, which found that the design and manufacture of a product is a commercial activity...more
On February 22, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an FCA claim brought by relators alleging that various lenders and loan servicers made false certifications to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, concluding that claims...more
Liability under the False Claims Act (FCA) is premised on the submission of a claim for money or property either to a federal government “officer, employee, or agent” or, under certain circumstances, to a nongovernmental...more
For busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, we have tried to summarize the most important international anti-corruption developments in the past month with links to primary resources. November was definitely a...more
With lots of fanfare, Esquenazi and Rodriguez, and the usual suspects filed a cert petition and briefs in support of the appeal from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision affirming the lower court’s interpretation of...more
On October 6, 2014, the United States Supreme Court declined to accept an appeal involving violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”)—the U.S. statute that criminalizes the bribing of foreign officials. The...more
Two think tanks, the Washington Legal Foundation and the Independence Institute, have filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court on behalf of petitioners Joel Esquenazi and Carlos Rodriguez, who were recently convicted of...more
On August 14, 2014, Joel Esquenazi and Carlos Rodriguez filed a Petition for a writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court seeking clarification of a key term in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Among other arguments,...more
In this episode I welcome back the FCPA Professor who gives his views on the Esquenazi decision, his recent book and his upcoming FCPA Institute....more
In last month’s closely watched Esquenazi decision, a U.S. court of appeal weighed in on the definition of “instrumentality” under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for the first time. The case—an appeal to the 11th...more
In a case of first impression for the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the court interpreted the term “instrumentality” of a foreign government in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The court used the...more
On May 16, 2014, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals was the first federal appellate court to weigh in on the controversial definition of "instrumentality" under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). In United States v....more
Anti-Corruption Digest is an update distributed on a monthly basis by Dorsey & Whitney providing a summary of the latest developments in anti-corruption enforcement activity around the world. In This Issue: -...more
In this issue: - Delaware Legislation Banning Fee-Shifting in Bylaws and Charters - CFTC Proposes to Amend De Minimis Threshold for Swaps with Utility Providers - CFTC Grants Recordkeeping Relief for...more
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) makes it unlawful for a person or company to provide money or anything of value to any foreign official in order to obtain or retain business or to acquire an improper business...more
In this episode I discuss the Esquenazi Decision on Instrumentalities Under the FCPA...more
Federal appellate court decisions interpreting the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) are rare. Very rare. Indeed, in the statute’s 36-year history there have been barely more than a handful of appellate court decisions...more
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits bribing a “foreign official,” yet courts have rarely had the chance to weigh in on who exactly qualifies as a foreign official. Enforcement agencies have taken the position...more
Providing appellate guidance for the first time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit interpreted a key term defining the types of “foreign officials” subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and...more
Federal appeals court provides a two-step “control” and “function” analysis for determining whether an entity qualifies as an “instrumentality” under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. On May 16, the U.S. Court of...more
On May 16, 2014, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit provided the first appellate court interpretation of the reach of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) to conduct involving...more