On April 17, 2025, three operating divisions of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) jointly issued an advisory to provide guidance on the materiality or other criteria they will use in deciding whether to make a...more
On March 27, 2025, the Futures Industry Association hosted a webinar with Brian Young, the director of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Division of Enforcement. Although he noted that the opinions...more
4/1/2025
/ CFTC ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cooperation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Self-Reporting ,
Settlement ,
White Collar Crimes
On February 25, 2025, the Division of Enforcement of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or the Commission) issued an advisory to Division staff on how to evaluate self-reporting, cooperation and remediation credit...more
2/27/2025
/ CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Remediation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Self-Reporting ,
White Collar Crimes
On February 10, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, to pause Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) actions for 180 days until she issues revised FCPA...more
2/13/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Compliance ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
On February 4, 2025, CFTC Acting Chair Caroline D. Pham announced that the agency was reorganizing the Division of Enforcement’s nine task forces “to combat fraud and help victims while ending the practice of regulation by...more
2/7/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Market Manipulation ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On August 1, 2024, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division launched the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (the Program), following up on its announcement in March 2024 of a plan to offer whistleblower awards....more
8/6/2024
/ Anti-Corruption ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinCEN ,
Government Agencies ,
Pilot Programs ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
On April 11, 2024, Ian McGinley, the director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) addressed the New York City Bar Association Futures and Derivatives Committee to present the benefits of...more
On January 8, 2024, in a decision that underscores the potential viability of fair-notice defenses to U.S. regulators’ rule interpretations, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a $6.5 million penalty...more
1/19/2024
/ Appeals ,
Broker-Dealer ,
CFTC ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Governance ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Holding Companies ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Adviser ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
White Collar Crimes
In a speech on October 24, 2023, the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Enforcement Division, Gurbir Grewal, described the scenarios in which the commission would bring an enforcement action against...more
On September 7, 2023, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued three enforcement settlement orders against developers of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. The orders charge Opyn, Inc., Deridex, Inc., and...more
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Analyzing the Recent Ripple and Terraform Decisions -
Key Points -
- In July 2023, Judges Torres and Rakoff in the Southern District of New York issued rulings on whether digital asset sales...more
9/15/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Life Sciences ,
Media ,
Mergers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Technology Sector
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last week seeks “to bring crypto assets within the regulatory perimeter” by granting oversight responsibility to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for most forms...more
7/21/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Jurisdiction ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Token Sales
On February 22, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) adopted a new policy that establishes a national standard for voluntary self-disclosure credit in corporate criminal enforcement actions brought by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices...more
On February 7, 2023, Ishan Wahi (Ishan), a former Coinbase product manager, pled guilty to wire fraud charges in an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)....more
On January 17, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced revisions to the Criminal Division’s Corporate Enforcement Policy. The revisions follow Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco’s September 2022...more
1/24/2023
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Commodities ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cross-Border ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Investigations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Reporting ,
White Collar Crimes
Cornerstone Research reports that during the first six months of 2022, plaintiffs filed 110 securities class actions, a pace that is generally in line — 2.8% higher — with what we saw in the second half of 2021. Looking...more
12/5/2022
/ Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Futures ,
Healthcare ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Life Sciences ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Stock Options
In a recently published memorandum, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco announced important updates to the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) approach to investigating and prosecuting corporate crimes. In the...more
Class Certification -
Central District of California Denies Class Certification in Securities Fraud Action Concerning Company’s Purchase of ADRs -
Stoyas v. Toshiba Corp., No. 2:15-cv-04194 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 7, 2022) -...more
3/2/2022
/ Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Derivative Suit ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Forum Selection ,
Loss Causation ,
Pleading Standards ,
Scienter ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Standing
This quarter’s issue of Inside the Courts — An Update From Skadden Securities Litigators includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided in May-August 2021....more
10/22/2021
/ Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Derivative Suit ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Loss Causation ,
Mergers ,
Pleading Standards ,
PSLRA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
SLUSA ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Statute of Repose
This quarter’s issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided between July and October 2020.
Class Certification
- Cryptocurrency – Definition of a Security
- Derivative...more
12/11/2020
/ Breach of Duty ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Derivative Suit ,
EBITDA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Excessive Fees ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Loss Causation ,
Material Misrepresentation ,
Material Misstatements ,
Mergers ,
Pleading Standards ,
PSLRA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Standing ,
Whistleblowers
On October 29, 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Division of Enforcement (Division) issued a memorandum (Guidance) providing guidance for Division staff to follow when recommending the recognition of an...more
On August 31, 2020, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued a memorandum to all executive departments and agencies on reforming regulatory enforcement...more
10/14/2020
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Best Practices ,
Burden of Proof ,
CFTC ,
Civil Liability ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
OMB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Standard of Review
In a memorandum dated May 20, 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Division of Enforcement issued guidance outlining factors that CFTC staff will consider when recommending civil monetary penalties (CMPs)...more
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, provided for the establishment and expansion of a range of economic assistance programs designed to help...more
5/15/2020
/ Banks ,
CARES Act ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Statements ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Fraud ,
GAO ,
Government Investigations ,
Inspector General ,
Law Enforcement ,
Lenders ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management ,
SBA ,
SIGPR
Addressing the Evolving Risks -
Warren Buffett said that “only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Buffett was not talking about compliance programs in a time of crisis, but his wisdom applies...more
5/2/2020
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
BSA/AML ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FFIEC ,
Financial Distress ,
Financial Fraud ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Market Manipulation ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Sanction Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)