Seyfarth Synopsis: On Monday, June 22, 2020, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Liu et al v. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In an 8-1 decision, written by Justice Sotomayor...more
6/25/2020
/ 15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5) ,
Administrative Authority ,
Business Expenses ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equitable Relief ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Lack of Authority ,
Liu v Securities and Exchange Commission ,
Net Profits ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Delaware Court of Chancery’s 2016 decision in In re Trulia Stockholder Litigation sought to address the trend of meritless merger lawsuits flooding the Chancery Court. Following the decision, however, the battleground of...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The COVID-19 pandemic has already spurred several private securities class action lawsuits and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) enforcement actions. Companies that deal with COVID-19 on a daily...more
6/13/2020
/ Business Disruption ,
Carnival Cruise Lines ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cruise Ships ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Zoom®
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Delaware Chancery Court’s October 1 In re Clovis decision marks the second time in 2019 that a Delaware court has permitted a Caremark duty-to-monitor derivative claim against directors—considered...more
11/1/2019
/ Caremark claim ,
Clinical Trials ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Derivative Suit ,
Directors ,
Duty to Monitor ,
Failure to Monitor ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Shareholder Litigation
On July 11, 2019, the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice announced a key policy change that now permits the Division to consider the existence and efficacy of corporate compliance programs in its...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Following Delaware’s lead in Trulia, an Illinois District Court judge refused to approve a mootness fee settlement as “worthless to the shareholders.” The judge noted that such settlements amounted to a...more
On June 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) voted to adopt “Regulation Best Interest,” which is intended to increase the duties a broker-dealer owes to its clients. While SEC-registered investment advisors...more
6/7/2019
/ Best Interest Standard ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Employee Benefits ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
New Rules ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retirement Plan ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Suitability Rule
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Delaware Chancery Court issued a decision Monday in a long-running appraisal dispute following Solera Holdings Inc.’s $6.5 billion sale to Vista Equity Partners LP in 2015 that rejected investors’ bid...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a much-awaited decision on which courts and counsel have reached different conclusions for years, the United States Supreme Court held on March 20, 2018 that the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards...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 ,
State Law Claims
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Delaware Supreme Court recently held that a shareholder vote on a tender offer was not fully informed where the company did not disclose why its founder, chairman and largest stockholder abstained from...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Delaware Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated unanimous decision last Thursday in the “long-running appraisal saga” that took place following the 2013 management-led buyout of Dell. In reversing...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On February 2, 2017, the Appellate Division for the First Department in New York entered an order approving a “disclosure-only” settlement. While acknowledging the “increasingly negative view” of...more
3/2/2017
/ Appeals ,
Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Governance ,
Derivative Suit ,
Disclosure-Based Settlements ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Mergers ,
Reversal ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Venue ,
Verizon
Seyfarth Synopsis: A Delaware Chancery Court judge last week dismissed a derivative complaint seeking to recover a $10 million severance payment made to a corporation’s former CEO because he found that plaintiff shareholder...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed the dismissal of a derivative complaint for failure to plead demand excusal because it found that certain directors of Zynga Inc. were not independent due to...more
12/29/2016
/ Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Demand Futility ,
Derivative Suit ,
Dismissals ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Independent Directors ,
Nasdaq ,
Pleading Standards ,
Reversal ,
Shareholder Litigation
Seyfarth Synopsis: On November 30, 2016, The Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed two derivative suits filed on behalf of the Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”). The companion memorandum and letter opinions reaffirm the heavy...more
12/8/2016
/ Bad Faith ,
Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Burden of Proof ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Executives ,
Demand Futility ,
Derivative Suit ,
Dismissals ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Foreign Exchanges ,
Pleading Standards ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Special Committees