In April of 2020 the EPA and the Department of the Army began the process of revising the definition of the term Waters of the United States (WOTUS). After the new administration took office in 2021, further study was conducted and a new final rule was recently published. The changes are scheduled to take effect this year, if currently pending challenges are unsuccessful.
Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) have become a significant part of white-collar criminal practice. But DPAs are not without controversy. These agreements have been attacked as too lenient, not forcing companies to be held accountable for illegal conduct. They are also seen as a way for prosecutors to appear tough on white-collar crime while not bringing charges against individuals.
In February 2023, in a significant update to its corporate criminal enforcement policies and procedures, the DOJ announced a voluntary self-disclosure policy applicable in all U.S. Attorney's Offices nationwide. This article discusses the DOJ's recent pronouncements and recent cases with an eye toward identifying trends that companies should keep in mind when preparing for the next enforcement era.
Part One of a Three-Part Article This three-part series discusses the Second Circuit's recent Securities law landmark case, S.E.C. v. Rio Tinto. However, in order to discuss Rio Tinto, it is important to first understand the Supreme Court landmark cases upon which Rio Tinto is based: Janus Capital Group, Inc. v. First Derivative Trader and S.E.C v. Lorenzo. Janus is discussed here in the first installment.
Newer trends — such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG), cybersecurity-related disclosure violations, and cryptocurrency regulation — are likely to provide further fuel for securities litigation and enforcement.
Part Two of a Two-Part Article In Part One, the authors addressed the industries most affected by AI, and began the discussion on U.S. federal and state regulations to expect in 2023. Part Two, continues the discussion on potential federal AI regulation and what companies can do to prepare.
Local Law Number 97 was enacted by the City of New York to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This is accomplished by requiring buildings to retrofit their systems with more energy efficient systems or purchase certain permitted carbon offsets.
Since the DOJ announced a new policy under which companies that voluntarily disclosed violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has attempted to encourage companies to voluntarily disclose all manner of criminal misconduct beyond violations of just the FCPA, while general counsels worldwide have been wrestling with the question of whether and when it is in the company's best interest to so disclose.
Efforts to diversify the inventive population will not only foster innovation across a wide range of businesses and industries but will also help greatly expand the pool of inventors across racial, gender and ethnic categories, and the country as a whole will realize numerous benefits.
The Division of Enforcement will likely continue to use "every tool in its toolkit" and expect that public companies and other market participants will think rigorously about their business and appropriately tailor compliance practices and internal controls and policies to match.
