On April 8, 2025, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the US District Court for the District of Maryland’s dismissal of all claims in Defeo et al. v. IonQ, Inc. et al., a securities class action asserting...more
On May 19, 2025, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill No. 1057 (SB 1057) into law....more
Is a report by a short seller followed by a stock decline enough to plead securities fraud? This month, the Fourth Circuit considered this issue. In Defeo v. IonQ, Inc., a group of investors sued IonQ, a developer of quantum...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently joined a growing consensus among federal appellate courts: short-seller reports, without more, rarely suffice to plead loss causation under the federal...more
On February 12, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released new guidance regarding shareholder proposals submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities...more
The proxy statement has become an integral component of a public company’s preparation for its annual meeting of shareholders. The rules and regulations under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act),...more
On February 26, 2025, Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald of the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted a motion to dismiss a putative class action against a producer of plant-based meat...more
On February 26, 2025, Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, sitting by designation in the District Court for the District of Delaware, granted a motion for summary judgment in a securities action brought by an investment firm...more
The annual DGCL amendments this year carry a little more urgency than before. SB21 was rushed through to the Delaware Senate in mid-February, bypassing the normal process that involves recommendation by the Council of the...more
On December 17, 2024, Judge Vince Chhabria of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted a renewed motion for class certification in a securities action against a majority shareholder of...more
On September 13, 2024, Judge K. Michael Moore of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed a complaint alleging that an equity fund (the “Company”), its affiliate companies, and several...more
In Maso Cap. Invs. Ltd. v. E-House (China) Holdings Ltd., No. 22-355 (2d Cir. June 10, 2024), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a putative securities-fraud...more
On August 20, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced an increase in the fees that public companies and other issuers will be required to pay to register their securities, from $147.60 per million...more
On August 8, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed United States District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s dismissal of a putative securities class action asserting claims under Sections 10(b)...more
On June 24, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided Packer ex rel. 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. v. Raging Capital Management, LLC, reversing a district court decision that had held that a shareholder...more
On June 17, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari on Nvidia’s appeal of the Ninth Circuit’s decision to revive a shareholder class action lawsuit against the company. The Supreme Court will consider the appropriate...more
In the case of Carvana Co. Stockholders Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery followed the special litigation committee’s (SLC’s) recommendation and dismissed a stockholder complaint alleging that the company’s...more
Introduction - On 6 February 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-2 to adopt two new rules that significantly expand the definitions of a “dealer” and “government securities dealer” in Sections...more
On October 10, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the reporting requirements relating to beneficial ownership. As outlined below, the amendments (i) shorten the deadlines to file for...more
Foreign private issuers (FPIs) may have dodged a bullet on December 7 after Congress scrapped a proposal to impose the reporting obligations under Section 16 of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), on FPIs...more
In Roth v. Foris Ventures, LLC, Nos. 22-16632, 22-16633, 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 30081 (9th Cir. Nov. 13, 2023), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit partially reversed the dismissal of a shareholder...more
The SEC shortened Schedule 13D and Schedule 13G beneficial ownership reporting deadlines and amended disclosure requirements. The SEC modified and accelerated the initial filing and amendment deadlines, as well as...more
Imagine you are an investor and you decide to file a lawsuit after a company that you invest in suffers a stock drop. When you get to the courthouse, you find that you are the first person to file a federal securities class...more
On October 13, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted final rules requiring the reporting and disclosure of short sale trade data information. New Rule 13f-2 implements new obligations on...more
The U.S. Senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (the “NDAA”), which, if enacted, would subject insiders (i.e., directors, executive officers and greater than 10% shareholders) of...more