On May 30, 2024, the US Department of Labor (DOL) filed a complaint in the Middle District of Alabama against a US subsidiary of Korean carmaker Hyundai seeking to hold Hyundai liable for child labor violations alleged to...more
6/6/2024
/ Child Labor ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hyundai ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Manufacturers ,
Migrant Workers ,
Migrants ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Subsidiaries ,
Suppliers ,
Third-Party ,
Wage and Hour
Shortly after oral arguments on the correct standard for assessing the application of mixed-purpose communications in In re Grand Jury, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed its writ of certiorari as improvidently granted.
To...more
The long-anticipated rules regarding recovery of erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation, commonly referred to as a “clawback,” were adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission by a 3-2 vote on October 26,...more
10/31/2022
/ Clawbacks ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Statements ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 20-F ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Section 10D ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
After months of closed-door negotiations, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) announced on Friday that it has entered into a Statement of Protocol with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and...more
SEC Acting Chief Accountant Paul Munter re-emphasized the SEC’s focus on auditor independence in his June 8 statement on “The Critical Importance of the General Standard of Auditor Independence and an Ethical Culture for the...more
Just one year after President Biden’s election, senior administration officials have signaled in public remarks that the federal government will amplify enforcement pressure on corporations and their employees through...more
11/10/2021
/ Advisory Board ,
Biden Administration ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Compliance Monitoring ,
Cooperation ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Yates Memorandum
As COVID-19 has continued to spread across the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has remained keenly focused on monitoring the market “for frauds, illicit schemes and other misconduct affecting U.S....more
While the global pandemic may have disrupted many industries, it has not stopped plaintiffs from continuing to file COVID-19-related securities fraud class actions under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act. As we...more
Liu v. SEC: The US Supreme Court Upholds the SEC’s Power to Obtain Disgorgement in Civil Actions, but with Important Limitations -
On June 22, the Supreme Court held in Liu v. SEC that the Securities and Exchange...more
10/1/2020
/ Administrative Authority ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equitable Relief ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Lack of Authority ,
Liu v Securities and Exchange Commission ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On June 22, the Supreme Court held in Liu v. SEC that the SEC may obtain disgorgement in federal court cases, as long as the disgorgement does not exceed a wrongdoer’s “net profits and is awarded for victims.” The Court’s...more
6/25/2020
/ 15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5) ,
Administrative Authority ,
Business Expenses ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equitable Relief ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Lack of Authority ,
Liu v Securities and Exchange Commission ,
Net Profits ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
As noted in our earlier alert concerning securities enforcement actions, as COVID-19 spread swiftly across the United States in the early months of 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began issuing warnings...more
As noted in our earlier alert concerning securities fraud litigation under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act, the spread of COVID-19 and its effect on the global economy have caused extreme market volatility and,...more
A mandamus petition is an extraordinary remedy that seeks to compel a lower court to take action in extraordinary cases. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has twice granted mandamus petitions vacating...more
In the wake of recent unexpected changes in the way that companies do business, the goods and services that consumers demand, and the accompanying market volatility, plaintiffs have begun filing securities fraud complaints...more
5/4/2020
/ Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cruise Ships ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
False Statements ,
Material Misstatements ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Virus Testing ,
Zoom®
Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued an Order granting conditional regulatory relief from certain filing obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for companies facing challenges in meeting...more
3/5/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 10-Q ,
Form 20-F ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Relief Measures ,
Risk Management ,
Rule 144 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
On August 23, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) held in In re John M.E. Saad that the US Supreme Court’s decision in Kokesh v. SEC had no impact on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s...more
On July 11, 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) restated and supplemented prior guidance regarding the circumstances under which FINRA will award credit for “extraordinary cooperation” in...more
In response to audit firm requests for guidance and a number of deficiencies identified during the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s audit firm inspections process, the PCAOB has recently released new Staff Guidance...more
On May 2, 2019, a court in the Southern District of New York ruled in United States v. Connolly (16-CR-370) that statements made by an employee to outside counsel during an internal investigation were subject to certain...more
The Supreme Court yesterday took a significant step to expand the universe of actors who can be held liable for a false statement under the federal securities laws. The Supreme Court held in Lorenzo v. SEC that a person who...more
3/29/2019
/ Appeals ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Statements ,
Fines ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Investment Banks ,
Lorenzo v SEC ,
Material Dissemination ,
Misleading Statements ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Suspensions
On June 21, 2018, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Lucia v. SEC, Slip Op. No. 17-130. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) administrative law judges (ALJs) have traditionally been appointed by SEC staff members,...more
6/25/2018
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Appeals ,
Appointments Clause ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Lucia v SEC ,
Officers of the United States ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Special Trial Judges (STJs)
On February 21, 2018, the Supreme Court held in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. v. Somers that the anti-retaliation whistleblower protections under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank...more
2/26/2018
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Internal Reporting ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rule 21F ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
Continuing its efforts to bring enforcement actions for violations of whistleblower protections, the Securities and Exchange Commission recently settled two more cases. Both cases involved severance agreements that contained...more
Last week, the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) issued a Risk Alert regarding examinations of investment adviser and broker-dealer registrants' compliance with key whistleblower provisions...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to pursue enforcement actions against companies for whistleblower-related violations. The latest in a recent string of settled orders, which include the SEC's first case...more