Bharara Task Force Overlooks California Insider Trading Statute

I have long advocated for a federal statutory definition of insider trading because I believe that the current approach has been for the courts to convict first and then explicate the theory supporting the conviction in a later appellate opinion. As...

California Bill Would Provide Cures For The Incurable

No more "takin' sick when nobody knows the cure"?

Last week, Senator Jones took the first step in the creation of a remedy for what heretofore had been irremediable (a "pair and snare" of "irredeemable"?).  If enacted, SB 870 will  authorize otherwise...

ETF Plaintiffs Find No Footing For Pursuit Of '33 Act Claims In California Court

Section 11 of the Securities Act is an anti-fraud statute. Like its Exchange Act cousin, Section 10(b), Section 11 requires (i) an omission or misrepresentation, and (2) that the omission or misrepresentation be material, that is, it would have...

New Podcast Series Features Blue Sky Enforcement Stories

It seems that there are now podcasts for every taste and interest.  Earlier this month, the North American Securities Administrators Association announced the introduction of Real Life Regulators a podcast series that brings "true crime stories...

Court Holds That An Employer May Rely On Employee's Promise Not To Compete

In Edwards v. Arthur Andersen LLP, 44 Cal. 4th 937 (2008), the California Supreme Court held that covenants not to compete were "invalid under section 16600 in California, even if narrowly drawn, unless they fall within the applicable statutory...

Do Directors Avoid Employee Status Under AB 5?

California's new law, AB 5, broadens the definition of "employee" by adopting the so-called A-B-C test for employment status.  Recently, I commented on the possible ramifications of classification of outside directors as employees. AB 5 is rife with...

Looking For The "Full Text" Of The Dodd-Frank Act?  You Won't Find It Here

The Securities and Exchange Commission provides links to various federal securities laws, including the following:

Is California Threatening Director Independence?

Publicly traded companies need to know whether a director qualifies as "independent" for a variety of reasons. Item 407 of Regulation S-K, for example, requires issuers to identify each director that is independent. In determining independence,...

In This Case, The Contract Had No Beginning

Known for the elegance of his Latin, French humanist Marc Antoine Muret observed "que Graece Latineque sciat, is, quocunque terrarum venerit, apud plerosque admirationi erit (and whoever knows Greek or Latin, wherever in the world she shall go, will...