Episode 286 -- Matt Stankiewicz on the Ripple Decision and Celsius CEO Indictment
Blue Sky Laws: Defending State-Level Securities Violations
The Justice Insiders: The Administrative State is Not Your Friend - A Conversation with Professor Richard Epstein
Four Decision Points in SEC Securities Investigations
Crypto Enforcement Is Here, and Always Has Been
Cryptocurrency: The Regulator’s Perspective
Investment Management Roundtable Discussion – Regulatory and Enforcement Update
On Friday, April 5, a California federal jury found a former Medivation executive liable for insider trading under the novel liability theory of “shadow trading,” following an eight-day trial and less than three hours of...more
This week, the SEC filed a high-profile litigation asserting fraud and internal controls charges against software company SolarWinds Corporation and its Chief Information Security Officer, Timothy G. Brown, in connection with...more
Supreme Court Hears Argument on Traceability Requirement in Circuit-Split Slack v. Pirani - Key Points - - Before the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in a high-profile securities case...more
Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint in U.S. District Court against a company’s director, former CEO and former CFO for allegedly making false and misleading statements to the company’s...more
A recent SEC order found that two executives of Cheetah Mobile Inc. engaged in illegal insider trading when selling shares under a purported 10b5-1 trading plan. The SEC found that they established the plan after learning of...more
On June 30, 2022 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought a settled enforcement case against a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA). At first glance, the case appears...more
In a recent decision, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that insuring against fraud does not per se violate Delaware public policy and held that the insured’s D&O policy covered claims alleging securities fraud. RSUI Indemnity...more
Former Theranos CEO Denied Attorney-Client Privilege Over Communications with Company Attorneys; District of Massachusetts Allows Putative Securities Class Action to Proceed Against OvaScience Investors; Delaware Chancery...more
In March 2020, I posted a blog reviewing the evolution of the legal analysis applied to a retirement plan’s holding of “employer securities” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”)......more
SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has repeatedly touted his focus on “Main Street.” In doing so, he unleashed the Division of Enforcement’s Asset Management specialty unit on the investment advisory industry and finalized and...more
“Employer securities” in retirement plans have been the source of a significant amount of litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). In general, “employer securities” are...more
The United States Supreme Court, in a per curiam decision, declined to address whether plan participants sufficiently alleged breach of fiduciary duty claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as...more
In January, the Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated opinion in Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander, No. 18-1165, a case that promised to clarify the pleading standard applicable to ERISA stock-drop cases. But...more
On January 29, 2020, Cornerstone Research released its annual report on securities class action filings. As expected, the report demonstrates that securities class actions in both federal and state courts continue to be filed...more
Brief Takeaway: Plan sponsors that offer employer stock in their benefit plans can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Supreme Court vacated one of the only plaintiff-friendly rulings in ERISA “stock drop” litigation. ...more
The United States Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion on Tuesday in Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v Jander, punting back to the court of appeals the determination of whether plan fiduciaries can be liable under...more
On January 14, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander, No. 18-1165, remanding the case to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether to address the views of...more
The U.S. Supreme Court today in Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander, No. 18-1165 (2020) (per curiam), declined to resolve questions about the pleading standard for a breach of fiduciary duty claim against fiduciaries...more
Here are ten common questions I receive from clients about issuing equity (stock or options) to service providers (advisors/directors/officers/employees/consultants)...more
We are pleased to present our annual mid-year update on financial reporting and issuer disclosure enforcement activity for 2019. This White Paper primarily focuses on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement...more
On March 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Lorenzo v. SEC,[i] affirming the expansive view of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) that, under the right circumstances,...more
Highly anticipated opinion extends primary liability for securities fraud beyond the “maker” of false statements. Key Points: ..The Court held that a defendant’s act of sending emails drafted by another, that the...more
In a 6 to 2 opinion Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to extend its holding in Janus Capital Grp., Inc. v. First Derivative Traders, 564 U.S. 135 (2011) beyond Exchange Act Rule 10b-5(b), and held that a person who...more
On March 27, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Lorenzo v. Securities and Exchange Commission, 587 U.S. ___ (2019) curtailing any meaningful distinction between liability of a statement maker...more
Striking a blow to employees who send communications at the behest of others, the Supreme Court held yesterday that those who “disseminate” false statements with the intent to defraud—even if they did not draft those...more