Last month, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that it is considering new procedures under which it would publicly identify firms that are under investigation as soon as the investigation has been...more
Glass Lewis (“GL”) recently released its annual Benchmark Policy Guidelines for 2024. This update makes several changes to how the proxy advisory firm will evaluate company policies related to executive compensation. ...more
In July of this year, we wrote about a fraud action involving the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program (“EB-5 Program” or “Program”) (here). Under the EB-5 Program, investors are eligible for permanent residency status in the U.S....more
If you find yourself thinking, “there are so many whistleblower stories in the news these days,” you’re not wrong. From historic awards being distributed from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the EU...more
Public companies are swiftly adopting policies regarding “erroneously awarded compensation” by December 1, 2023, to comply with listing standards required by the new SEC Rule 10D-1. These policies will require companies to...more
On October 17, 2023, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (“CFTC” or “Commission”) Division of Enforcement (“DOE”) released its latest enforcement advisory, providing guidance to CFTC staff on resolution of an...more
On August 23, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new and amended rules under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the Advisers Act), to address what it perceives as certain conflicts...more
On April 4, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed suit against Charlie Javice, the 31-year-old founder of Frank, a student loan and financial aid assistance company. That same day, the U.S....more
On the heels of record-breaking enforcement in 2022, expect continued aggressive pursuit of Chair Gensler’s priorities in 2023. The SEC will continue to bring its considerable resources to bear to address ESG-related...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently issued its annual enforcement report, which analyzes enforcement patterns and emerging priorities in the fiscal year (“FY”) ending September 30, 2021. Challenges born in...more
Designed for busy in-house counsel, compliance professionals, and anti-corruption lawyers, this newsletter summarizes some of the most important international anti-corruption law and case developments from the past month,...more
In remarks this week at the SEC Speaks conference, new SEC Enforcement Director Gurbir Grewal said he’s bringing back admissions in SEC settled actions to help spur accountability. Most SEC actions are settled on a “neither...more
On Friday, July 17, 2020, Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) Brian D. Miller and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) G. Zachary Terwilliger announced a formal partnership to pursue...more
On July 9, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would review the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to seek restitution in federal court for consumers who have been harmed by fraud and other misconduct in the...more
On Nov. 4, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed an amended complaint against Collectors Café and its CEO, Mykalai Kontilai, to add charges against defendants for alleged violations of whistleblower...more
In Robare Group v. SEC, the court clarified the meaning of “willfully” under Section 207 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. A willful omission requires that a person “subjectively intended to omit material information.”...more
In Robare, the D.C. Circuit clarifies the negligence and willfulness standards under Sections 206 and 207 of the Act. On April 30, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued its...more
On July 1, 2015, the SEC issued proposed rules implementing Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which would obligate national securities exchanges to adopt listing standards that require listed companies to adopt and disclose...more
The DC Circuit recently released an opinion addressing the SEC’s administrative findings against registered investment adviser The Robare Group (TRG) for failure to disclose alleged conflicts of interest. Although the court...more
On April 30, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated an aggregate $150,000 in fines that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) had levied against an investment...more
In a triumph of reason over complexity, the D.C. Circuit has held that an investment adviser cannot negligently commit an intentional act. In so holding, the second highest court in the land has (once again) overturned a...more
The new SEC Enforcement Cyber Unit will target cyber-related misconduct, including violations involving distributed ledger technology, initial coin offerings and misconduct perpetrated using the dark web....more
In Securities & Exchange Commission v. Jensen, No. 14-55221, 2016 WL 4537377 (9th Cir. Aug. 31, 2016), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit broke new ground by providing the Securities & Exchange...more
A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course. That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mister Ed. Those lines were the opening verse to the theme song of the TV...more
The SEC continues its efforts to support whistleblowers. The whistleblower program promulgated by the Commission under the Dodd-Frank Act offers rewards to individuals who report securities law violations. As we have...more