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CASE BRIEFS
A New York trial court will decide whether the 'disgorgement' portion of the largest securities regulatory settlement in history is covered under a $100 million Professional Liability policy. In a time of increasingly aggressive securities regulation the court's decision will likely have a wide impact on firms that have or are considering regulatory settlements.
The case stems from an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the NASD into how Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) allocated shares in 'hot' IPOs for which it served as an underwriter. In a civil suit filed in January 2002, the SEC charged that CSFB had violated federal securities laws and regulations as well as NASD rules by allocating IPO shares to customers who agreed to pay excessive commissions in unrelated securities transactions. Shortly after the suit was filed CSFB agreed to settle. Without conceding any of the SEC's substantive allegations, CSFB nevertheless consented to the entry of a permanent injunction against 'sharing profits of CSFB customers in exchange for allocations of shares in [IPOs] underwritten by CSFB.' It also agreed to make payments of $100 million to the U.S. Treasury, the SEC and the NASD. Of that amount, $30 million was deemed to be a 'civil penalty' and $70 million was deemed to represent 'disgorgement of monies obtained improperly by CSFB ' '
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs
A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.
Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits
In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.