COMPLIANCE INTO THE WEEDS-EPISODE 48-THE HALLIBURTON FCPA ENFORCEMENT ACTION
Highlights from the Oral Argument in Halliburton v. Erica P. John Fund
The underlying case concerned the 2010 explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, when a well which was in the process of being plugged and temporarily abandoned, experienced a blow out....more
In an Internal Memo, the White House Considered Whether to Simply 'Ignore' Federal Climate Research - "The document, drafted September 18 by Michael Catanzaro, President Trump's special assistant for domestic energy and...more
The United States District Court (Western District of Oklahoma) addressed in a January 11th Order the potential application of the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine to certain documents generated by...more
Along with the anti-bribery provisions, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) contains accounting provisions that apply to publicly traded companies. These provisions require that companies maintain and adhere to...more
Last week’s announcement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the resolution of its outstanding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action with Halliburton Company continues to resonate and provide...more
June Foray died this week. You may not think you have heard of her but let me assure you; you have heard her. Foray was the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel in perhaps the greatest cartoon show ever, Rocky and Bullwinkle....more
Where is the line drawn between acquisitions of securities made “solely for the purpose of investment” on one hand, and influencing control, thereby requiring regulatory approval, on the other hand? That is the central...more
In perhaps an unsurprising move, last week the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging the merger of Halliburton and Baker Hughes, the first and third largest oilfield services companies in the...more
Nearly a year and a half after the deal was announced, on April 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) challenged Halliburton's proposed $35 billion acquisition of rival oilfield services provider Baker Hughes. The DOJ...more
The DOJ has moved to block the proposed Halliburton/Baker Hughes merger in a Delaware-based federal lawsuit that argues that “combining the two oil field services companies would cut competition in the industry to...more
It’s common knowledge: Fair Labor Standards Act audits from the U. S. Department of Labor and lawsuits from workers for overtime violations are coming faster than a blitzing safety on a third and long. Native Oilfield...more
Several of our previous posts have covered the trade secrets implications of laws that require disclosure of hydraulic fracturing fluid ingredients. As today’s method of hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling...more
When does bribery and corruption move from a business issue to a political issue to a national issue? Why should US companies be held to the gold standard of anti-corruption laws? Should the US government even care if US...more
Oil is hovering around $50 per barrel. For most of the US economy this drop in oil price has provided a much-needed economic boost. One piece on the NPR website, entitled “Oil Price Dip, Global Slowdown Create Crosscurrents...more
As Warren Buffett once wrote in a 2002 letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., "you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out." Well, the tide is going out for many in the oil and gas industry...more
On November 17, 2014, Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”) announced plans to acquire Baker Hughes, Inc. (“Baker Hughes”) for $34.6 billion. Halliburton and Baker Hughes are two of the world’s largest oilfield services...more
While the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has largely disappeared from the news headlines, for the parties involved in the litigation, the legal machinations, particularly with respect to liability, have a long way still to go. ...more
On April 22, 2014, a six-person jury in Dallas awarded a Texas family $2.925 million in a trial based on medical problems allegedly caused by natural gas development. While the case involved gas wells that had been...more