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Liability of U.S. Companies for Alleged Bribery By Foreign Subsidiaries Image

Liability of U.S. Companies for Alleged Bribery By Foreign Subsidiaries

Jacqueline C. Wolff & Keith Lieberthal

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) provides two avenues by which a U.S. concern can be prosecuted for improper payments to foreign officials: the anti-bribery provisions, and the books-and-records and internal-control provisions. Somewhat unclear, however, is the kind of involvement in a foreign subsidiary a U.S. parent must have such that it might be exposed to criminal or civil enforcement. This article explores liability for misconduct of foreign subsidiaries and what preventive measures a parent can take.

Features

Drug and Medical Device Manufacturers Image

Drug and Medical Device Manufacturers

William Hoffman & Gregory J. Wallance

Following a guilty plea last year by a major pharmaceutical company, Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum declared that "[t]he Department of Justice is committed to rooting out and prosecuting health care fraud. It is of paramount importance that the Department use every legal tool at its disposal to assure the health and safety of the consumers of America's health care system." The tools -- the variety of different criminal statutes and theories used to prosecute drug and device manufacturers -- are so diverse as to defy easy summary.

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What to Do When an Audit Committee Complaint Arrives Image

What to Do When an Audit Committee Complaint Arrives

Jeffrey E. Jordan

Much attention has been paid to the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and the stock exchanges and Nasdaq that issuers establish procedures under which their audit committees can receive complaints, including anonymous complaints. Various service providers now offer issuers solutions in this area, including procedures to submit complaints through hotlines and e-mail addresses maintained by the service providers. But none of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules or the extensive commentary about establishing complaint procedures addresses what the audit committee is required to do with a complaint when one is received. This article briefly discusses some considerations in dealing with such a complaint.

Features

The Leasing Hotline Image

The Leasing Hotline

ALM Staff & Law Journal Newsletters

Highlights of the latest commercial leasing cases from around the country.

Restrictive Covenants in Commercial Developments Image

Restrictive Covenants in Commercial Developments

Paul Robeznieks

Recorded restrictive covenants in commercial developments present many issues. Two important factors to consider when granting such covenants include: 1) the reoccurring impact that they may have over the life span of a shopping center, and 2) the potential impact of such covenants on the current and future objectives of landlords and tenants who are parties to them.

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Exclusive Use Clauses in Shopping Center Leases Image

Exclusive Use Clauses in Shopping Center Leases

Randall S. Arndt

There are few shopping center lease clauses that are more important to a retail tenant than the exclusive use clause. For many retail tenants, the scope of the exclusive use clause represents the essence of the tenant's bargain with the landlord. A tenant's ability to "corner the market" in a retail center for its particular use adds tremendous value to the leasehold estate and can significantly expand the tenant's gross sales at the center.

Features

The Pitfalls for Landlords to Avoid in Leases Involving New Construction Image

The Pitfalls for Landlords to Avoid in Leases Involving New Construction

Ira Fierstein

New construction always involves myriad unknowns — cost and timing are two of the biggest. However, if you add the complication of negotiating a lease at the same time, the problems quickly multiply. This article addresses some of these issues and provides advice for the landlord's use to avoid ending up in a situation where the lease becomes unprofitable.

Features

In the Spotlight: What Every Tenant Should Know About Negotiating Parking Privileges in Commercial Leases Image

In the Spotlight: What Every Tenant Should Know About Negotiating Parking Privileges in Commercial Leases

Stacy E. Smith

Designated, reserved parking spaces appurtenant to office leases are highly valued by certain types of tenants, especially in the downtown, metropolitan markets. Thus, a tenant's counsel must carefully consider the parking provision when negotiating an office lease. Landlord-oriented form leases often give the landlord the right: 1) to expand or change any parking area, 2) to temporarily close off portions of the parking areas for purposes of expanding, repairing, restoring, constructing or reconstructing the parking decks, and 3) to change, from time-to-time, the rules and regulations with regard to the parking area. The tenant's counsel should always make sure that the lease properly limits these rights so that they cannot be used in a manner that will potentially, adversely affect the tenant's use of its parking rights. All new rules should be limited by a "reasonableness" qualifier, and the landlord should be required to enforce the rules and regulations in a "nondiscriminatory manner as against tenant."

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Practice Tip: Experts and the Morass of Mass Tort Litigation Image

Practice Tip: Experts and the Morass of Mass Tort Litigation

Christopher P. DePhillips & David William Tyler

An expert retained in mass tort litigation may be required to focus on multiple cases consolidated for discovery and trial, involving thousands of pages of medical records, deposition transcripts, and other discovery material. Expert opinions in mass tort litigation must address both case-specific and generic issues. A statement that is innocuous in one case may be harmful when applied to another. Taken together with the technical sophistication of the issues involved in each case, these issues necessitate a measured approach for dealing with experts.

August issue in PDF format Image

August issue in PDF format

ALM Staff & Law Journal Newsletters

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