As discussed more fully in our alert when Blaszczak I was issued, the crux of this case was that four individuals were charged with and convicted of an alleged scheme to obtain nonpublic information from the Centers for...more
The question of what constitutes insider trading has been litigated for decades. Many thought that a series of Supreme Court cases such as Dirks v. SEC, 462 U.S. 646 (1983) and its progeny had largely resolved the question...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 a consequential insider trading decision in United States v. Blaszczak. In Blaszczak, the Second Circuit faced the question whether the “personal benefit” test set forth in...more
A lot of ink has been spilled over the crime of insider trading, which – in the view of U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff – “is a straightforward concept that some courts have managed to complicate.” In his recent decision in...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
On Aug. 23, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a split decision in United States v. Martoma, upholding a portfolio manager’s insider trading conviction and finding that a tippee need not...more
In Salman v. United States, decided on December 6, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld a conviction for criminal violations of insider trading laws. The Court, however, declined to adopt the expansive theories of insider trading...more
The United States Supreme Court recently rendered a decision in Salman1 resolving a circuit split over whether the government prosecuting an insider trading case must show that the person giving an insider tip received...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
To be liable for insider trading in violation of the federal securities laws, the insider “tipper” who discloses the inside information must personally benefit, directly or indirectly, from his disclosure to a “tippee” who...more
Salman reaffirms Dirks and holds that a “gift” of inside information to a trading relative or friend continues to meet the personal-benefit requirement. The Salman Prosecution - In 2011, Bassam Yacoub Salman was...more
On December 6, 2016, in an opinion written by Justice Alito, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Salman v. United States, a closely-watched insider trading tipping case. Salman builds upon...more
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous, but narrow, ruling in Salman v. United States, regarding criminal tipper/tippee liability for insider trading, which the Supreme Court had not significantly...more
The Yates Memo, refocusing DOJ criminal and civil corporate investigations, continues to be the critical topic of discussion this week. The Memo, discussed here, directs that individuals be the focus of the inquiry from the...more