Delaware Finds Stockholder Claims Against SPAC Fiduciaries Subject to Entire Fairness Review
As SPAC IPOs broke records – in both value and volume – in 2020 (and again in 2021), it was inevitable that stockholder litigation would follow. More than 50% of the SPACs that went public in 2020 and 2021 are incorporated in Delaware, giving particular significance to SPAC litigation filed […]
Whistleblower Complaints and Rewards Explode Worldwide
What you need to know Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of whistleblower complaints received by regulators has exploded on both sides of the Atlantic. On November 15, 2021, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reported that it paid out more in whistleblower awards in fiscal […]
SEC Enforcement Director Sets Aggressive Tone
Gurbir Grewal, the recently-appointed Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, comes from a law enforcement background. Before joining the SEC, he served as New Jersey Attorney General, where he presided over cases against prominent companies alleging violations of state environmental law. Before that, he served as […]
Pleading Bad Faith Against Special Committee Members: A New Trend?
Special committees, by design, are created to address conflicts and to insulate the board of directors from liability for the very conflicts that may invite judicial scrutiny of the fairness of the board’s decision. A well-functioning special committee will also mitigate the risk of personal liability for a company’s fiduciaries, […]
DOJ Increases Efforts to Combat Cyber Breaches by Targeting Government Contractors
The US Department of Justice is increasing its arsenal to pursue cyber-related fraud by government contractors and grant recipients. The program, called the “Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative,” was announced by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on Wednesday. The initiative – along with other recent steps taken by the federal government – […]
Ninth Circuit Rejects ‘Direct Listing’ Carve-Out from Securities Act Liability
On September 20, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its much anticipated decision in Pirani v. Slack Technologies, Inc., which raised the novel question (a question of first impression, according to the panel) of whether shareholders lack standing to sue under Sections 11 and […]
SEC Charges Alternative Data Provider With Misrepresenting Data Sources
What happened Last week the SEC brought securities fraud charges against App Annie and its co-founder and former CEO and Chairman Bertrand Schmitt for engaging in deceptive practices and making material misrepresentations about how App Annie’s alternative data was derived. App Annie and Schmitt agreed to pay $10 million and […]
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local v. Danske Bank: Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Securities Class Action Arising from Money Laundering at Estonian Branch of Denmark Bank
Summary On August 25, 2021, the Second Circuit unanimously affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of a securities class action accusing Danske Bank and several of its former executives of downplaying a money-laundering scandal at Danske’s Estonian Branch. The court held that while the Estonian Branch’s failure to follow anti-money laundering […]
SEC Enforcement Targets Cybersecurity Disclosures Again
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler has pledged to bring a renewed focus to robust enforcement of the federal securities laws. As we observed in a recent blog post, under Chairman Gensler and Director Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement will be more aggressive in several arenas—including public […]
Early SEC Enforcement Trends from Chairman Gary Gensler’s First 100 Days
Gary Gensler was sworn in as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 17, 2021. Chairman Gensler has promised to strengthen transparency and accountability in the financial markets. Under Chairman Gensler, we expect the SEC’s Division of Enforcement – led by Gurbir Grewal, who began work at the agency on July 26 – […]