In the latest of what is now a lengthening line of cases, on June 12, 2012, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, applying Illinois law, ruled in a coverage case brought by JPMorgan Chase that owing to settlements by underlying carriers in a professional liability insurance program, excess insurers in the program
Guest Post: Holding Bankers Liable?
In a recent post on this blog (here), I commented on a May 29, 2012 Dealbook blog post entitled “Why S.E.C. Settlements Should Hold Senior Executives Liable” (here), which had been written by two University of Minnesota law professors, Claire Hill and Richard Painter. After my post appeared, I contacted
Supreme Court Grants Cert in Amgen Securities Suit
On Monday, June 11, 2012, the United States Supreme Court granted the petition of Amgen for a writ of certiorari in a securities lawsuit pending against the company. As a result, next term the Court will be addressing the question of whether securities plaintiffs must establish in their class certification petition that the alleged misrepresentation
“Extravagant” Statements, Nearly Two Dozen Confidential Witnesses – But Credit Crisis-Related Securities Suit Dismissal Still Affirmed
The plaintiffs’ complaint cited twenty-three confidential witnesses and relied on statements the appellate court itself described as “extravagant,” but the First Circuit nevertheless affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of the credit crisis-related securities class action lawsuit investors filed against Textron and certain of its directors and officers. A copy of the First Circuit’s June 7, 2012
Bear Stearns Settles Credit Crisis Securities Suit for $275 Million
The March 2008 collapse of Bear Stearns was, in the words of Southern District of New York Judge Robert Sweet, “an early and major event in the turmoil that has affected the financial markets and the national and world economies.” The securities class action litigation that followed the company’s collapse was among the highest profile
Management Liability Insurer Must Defend Insured Accused of Sexual Molestation
The criminal trial in which Jerry Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator of Penn State’s football team, stands accused of sexually abusing at least 10 boys over a 15-year period began Tuesday, June 4, 2012, in Bellefonte, Pa. Sandusky has been charged with forty criminal counts. Sandusky has also separately named as a defendant in a
To Encourage the Others?: Imposing Personal Liability for Corporate Fines on Individual Officers
In a ruling that has gained a great deal of attention and scrutiny, Southern District of New York Judge Jed Rakoff rejected the “neither admit nor deny” settlement in the SEC’s enforcement action against Citigroup, a ruling that is now on appeal in the Second Circuit (about which refer here). Among other things, Judge
Thinking About Morrison’s “Unintended Problems”
The U.S. Supreme Court’s blockbuster opinion in Morrison v National Australia Bank has had an enormous impact, resulting as it has in the dismissal of numerous securities suits involving non-U.S. companies that previously would have been permitted to go foward in U.S. courts. But over time it has become clear that the Supreme Court’s opinion does not
NERA Projects FDIC Failed Bank Litigation Could Ultimately Total 86 Lawsuits
In a May 31, 2012 study of the FDIC failed bank litigation that contains a number of interesting observations and projections, NERA Economic Consulting projects at the current filing rate, the FDIC’s failed bank litigation ultimately could total 86 lawsuits, or much as 20% of all banks that have failed as part of the current