Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Lorenzo v. SEC, determining that a person who knowingly disseminates a misstatement about a security can be primarily liable under the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. This significant holding opens the door for the SEC and private plaintiffs to charge misstatement cases as scheme cases, and … Continue Reading
On March 6, 2019, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (the “Commission” or “CFTC”) Enforcement Division published an advisory (the “Advisory”) which discussed the implications of self-reporting and cooperation for violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) that involve foreign corrupt practices. The Advisory marks the first time the CFTC has expressed its intention to … Continue Reading
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently provided issuers with a reminder of the potential for enforcement for insufficient cybersecurity. The SEC continues to emphasize the importance of measures such as up-to-date compliance and incident response programs in order to maintain the integrity of the capital market system, and a recent Report of Investigation … Continue Reading
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is undergoing a transformation with the new Trump administration while staying on course with its statutory mission of protecting US commodities and derivatives markets. Some of CFTC’s priorities under new Republican Administration will certainly change as articulated by the new Congress, several executive orders from the White House, and … Continue Reading
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) shook things up in 2016 with new theories and fresh interpretations of the law. Along with this came hefty fines reaching up to $1.2 billion in total. CFTC wasn’t the only regulatory group handing out large fines but the National Futures Association (“NFA”) also collected around $700,000. Between the … Continue Reading
On December 6, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited ruling in Salman v. United States. In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court adhered to its 1983 decision in Dirks v. SEC, 463 U.S. 646, and held that a tippee is liable for trading on inside information when the tipper “personally will benefit directly, … Continue Reading
In an Order of Settlement released February 6, 2015, the SEC agreed to stay the administrative action against the Chinese affiliates of the “Big Four” accounting firms for refusing to turn over their audit work papers relating to several U.S.-listed Chinese companies. As we wrote earlier here, the Chinese affiliates of the audit firms had … Continue Reading
In a widely anticipated decision, the Second Circuit on Wednesday clarified the standard for insider trading actions against tippees, downstream recipients of inside information who trade on that information. The court overturned the criminal convictions of two hedge fund portfolio managers who were convicted in 2013 as part of a massive sweep by New York … Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently indicated that it would review, de novo, the January 2014 decision barring the Chinese affiliates of the “Big Four” accounting firms from appearing before the SEC. The Commission’s Order, found here, also granted both parties’ motions to submit additional evidence for consideration – most significantly, the auditors’ evidence that … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Ian M. Turetsky. For many lawyers, the words “personal jurisdiction” do little more than invoke distant memories of a civil procedure course in law school, or perhaps a tortured essay question on the bar exam. But for global companies with a U.S. presence, those words have often invoked shock … Continue Reading
In the first blow to land in the long running dispute between U.S. regulators and the accounting firms that certify the financial statements of China-based companies listed on U.S. exchanges, yesterday an Administrative Law Judge at the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a decision barring the Chinese affiliates of the “Big Four” accounting … Continue Reading
On August 1, 2013, the Second Circuit affirmed Samarth Agrawal’s criminal convictions for violating both the National Stolen Property Act (NSPA) and the Economic Espionage Act (EEA) after he misappropriated SocGen’s high-frequency trading code at the time he was leaving the company. The Second Circuit’s decision in Agrawal is puzzling if not downright shocking to … Continue Reading
On July 2, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia vacated a rule promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that would have required energy companies to publicly disclose payments to U.S. and foreign governments in connection with the commercial development of oil, natural gas, or minerals. The American Petroleum … Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) power to obtain documents from U.S. companies and their auditors is a key component of its mandate to protect the marketplace from fraud. But what happens when the exercise of that power conflicts with the civil and criminal laws of another country? In the case of the SEC seeking … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Terence Healy. On April 8, 2013, District Judge Shira Scheindlin (S.D.N.Y.) dismissed Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd. (“Deloitte”) from a securities fraud class action brought by investors in Longtop Financial Technologies, Ltd. (“Longtop”), a Chinese company which was delisted from the NYSE in 2011. The plaintiffs alleged auditing giant Deloitte … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Terence Healy. Yesterday, the SEC instituted administrative proceedings against the Chinese affiliates of the “Big Four” accounting firms and BDO related to audits they conducted at nine Chinese companies. At issue is the accounting firms’ “willful refusal” to provide audit work papers and other materials the Commission seeks in its … Continue Reading
In a strongly worded decision that will make it easier for private plaintiffs to withstand dismissal of securities fraud claims in certain cases, the Second Circuit vacated and remanded a federal district court’s dismissal of a putative securities fraud class action. In Acticon v. China Ne. Petroleum Holdings Ltd., — F. 3d —, 2012 WL … Continue Reading
This past April, the Second Circuit narrowed federal prosecutors’ ability to charge former employees for stealing proprietary information from their companies. United States v. Aleynikov, 676 F.3d 71 (2d Cir. 2012) (overturning Aleynikov’s conviction for violating the National Stolen Property Act and the Economic Espionage Act after misappropriating trading code from Goldman Sachs). Now, the … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Pablo Quiñones. On March 20, 2012, a New York federal judge ordered Chip Skowron to pay $10 million in restitution to Morgan Stanley as a corporate victim of his insider trading and obstruction of justice schemes. The Skowron decision is a significant victory for corporate victims of insider trading, … Continue Reading
In two decisions issued last week, the Ninth Circuit and Second Circuit interpreted three different federal statutes – the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the National Stolen Property Act (NSPA), and the Economic Espionage Act (EEA) – in ways that narrowed federal prosecutors’ ability to charge former employees for stealing proprietary information from their … Continue Reading
