In its December 15, 2010 filing of Form 8-K (here), Ambac Financial Group announced that it had entered a memorandum of understanding to settle the subprime-related securities class action lawsuits pending against the company and certain of its directors and officers for a payment of $27.1 million, of which $24.6 million is to
WikiLeaks Disclosures Reveal RBS Chairman’s Admission of ‘”Failure of Fiduciary Responsibilities”
In a prior post, I speculated how WikiLeaks-style disclosures might fuel claims against corporate officials, to the extent that the previously nonpublic information conflicted with public statements. The latest round of WikiLeaks disclosures includes revelations that provide a more specific example of this type of process at work.
The latest revelations are
NERA Releases Year-End 2010 Securities Class Action Litigation Study
On December 14, 2010, NERA Economic Consulting released its annual year-end study of securities class action lawsuit filings and settlements. The report, entitled "Trends 2010 Year-End Update," can be found here. Among other things, the NERA study reports that class action filings "picked up substantially" in the second half of 2010, and that median
Guest Post: Dan Bailey on the “No Broader than Underlying” Excess Provision
As reflected in detail below, noted D&O maven Dan Bailey of the Bailey & Cavalieri law firm has submitted the following guest blog post in response to an earlier guest post on this site. I would like to thank Dan for his willingness to have his comments published here. Dan’s guest blog post is as
D&O Insurance: Disgorgement of Contingent Commissions Not Covered “Loss”
An insurance broker’s settlement of claims for disgorgement of undisclosed contingent commissions does not represent covered loss under a combined lines professional liability insurance policy, according to a December 3, 2010 decision of the Illinois (Cook County) Circuit Court. A copy of the December 3 opinion can be found here.
Background
Aon Corporation
R-T Specialty, LLC Acquires Oakbridge Insurance Services, LLC
R-T Specialty, LLC Acquires Oakbridge Insurance Services, LLC
Acquisition Broadens RT’s Presence in the Executive and Professional Liability Segment
Oakbridge is one of the nation’s leading specialty insurance intermediaries with extensive experience and exclusive focus on executive and professional liability exposures and insurance solutions. The company was organized in 2005
Pfizer’s D&O Insurers Fund Unusual $75 Million Derivative Settlement
In the wake of Pfizer’s record-setting September 2009 $2.3 billion settlement of charges that it had engaged in off-label marketing of Bextra and other drugs, Pfizer investors filed shareholders derivative lawsuits against the company, as nominal defendant, and 19 of the company’s directors and officer, alleging that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by failing to
Two 2010 Securities Suits Filing Trends Converge
Among 2010 securities class action lawsuit filing trends are two phenomena that emerged in the second-half of the year – the flurry of lawsuits filed against for-profit education companies and the proliferation of suits involving companies domiciled in China. These two filing trends converged in a single case filed last week against a Chinese
The Essential Lessons of the “Faithless Servant”
Accompanying the various print media stories this past week about the latest judicial developments involving jailed former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski was the iconic photo of Kozlowski draping his arms over the shoulders of a couple of beauties at his wife’s infamous $2 million birthday bash on Sardinia.
There’s something about this photo that
Thoughts About WikiLeaks and Executive Liability
Though it quickly recovered, Bank of America’s share price declined earlier this week on speculation that the company is the bank whose internal documents WikiLeaks intends to post on the Internet at some future date. According to news reports, the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has asserted that he has five gigabytes of Bank of America