The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (“HSR Act” or the “Act”) requires parties to certain acquisitions to notify the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) (collectively, “the...more
The past year was a challenging one for investors purchasing voting securities in public corporations with respect to compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act....more
Investors considering engaging with management should take note of a recent informal interpretation received from the FTC’s Premerger Notification Office (PNO) advising that certain seemingly “passive” behavior is...more
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced this week that an activist investment manager has agreed to pay a record $11 million to settle allegations that it violated the requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust...more
Activist investor ValueAct Capital agreed to pay an $11 million fine and also agreed to injunctive relief to settle the DOJ’s allegations that it violated the HSR Act in connection with its acquisition of over $2.5 billion of...more
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had filed a civil antitrust complaint against investment fund ValueAct Capital, alleging that ValueAct improperly relied upon the "investment-only"...more
Suit signals potential consequences for activist investors who rely on the HSR “solely for purposes of investment” exemption. On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued certain ValueAct Capital entities...more
Previously, we wrote about the First Circuit decision that a private equity fund constituted a “trade or business” under ERISA as amended by the Multeimployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (“MPPAA”). That dry description is...more
Enforcement actions for violations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) often are announced with substantial money penalties or other restrictions agreed in advance between the agency and the parties. Not so with the Department...more
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (DOJ) filed a complaint against activist investor ValueAct Capital in California federal court, requesting a $19 million fine for violations of the...more
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against activist investor ValueAct Capital. The DOJ asserts that ValueAct improperly relied on the “investment only” exemption to the...more
On April 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against activist investor ValueAct Capital (“ValueAct”). DOJ asserts that ValueAct improperly relied on the “investment only” exemption to...more
For the third time in less than two months, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced an enforcement action against a minority investor who failed to comply with the Hart-Scott-Rodino (“H-S-R”) Act notification...more
On September 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted a motion filed by household products manufacturer Clorox for interlocutory appeal of two decisions by the U.S. District Court for the Western District...more
The Federal Trade Commission, in its latest enforcement action relating to Hart-Scott-Rodino Act compliance, reminds investors that strict adherence to HSR filing requirements is a must, but also may have signaled that a long...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement on August 24, 2015, with Third Point Funds for failing to file a notification under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act) in connection with the...more
On August 24, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or the “Commission”) filed a proposed settlement in federal court regarding alleged violations by Third Point LLC (“Third Point”) of the premerger reporting laws related...more
August 31, 2015 On August 24, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has reached an agreement with Third Point LLC and three affiliated investment funds (collectively "Third Point") to settle allegations...more
On August 24, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a consent settlement based on an application of the investment-only exemption to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act’s premerger notification requirements. The settlement...more