It is impossible to ignore the protests and social justice initiatives surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement spanning the country, recently surpassing 100 consecutive days of protests. (Patience Womack & Tosca Ruotolo, The Daily Barometer). In light of national demands for racial justice, the California state legislature introduced Assembly Bill 979 (“Diversity Bill”) aimed at increasing corporate diversity. In short, the Diversity Bill requires corporations that have nine or more Board of Directors to include at least three minority members by the end of 2022. (Saijel Kishan, Bloomberg). Additionally, California’s Secretary of State will be required to publish annual board diversity reports evaluating corporate progress and compliance. Id. In 2018, California enacted a similar gender equity law, S.B. 826, 2017-18 Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Ca. 2018), requiring publicly held companies with a board of four or less to have at least one female director. (Women on Boards, California Secretary of State). Though the 2018 bill is widely criticized, its results are undeniable, increasing representation and corporate accountability. (See generally California Secretary of State, March 2020 Women on Boards Report).
Read MoreIn 2017, Cigna, Corp. (“Cigna”) and Anthem, Inc. (“Anthem”), both major market participants in the United States (“U.S.”) healthcare industry, began what would have been a $54 billion merger. (Jeff Montgomery, Law 360). The merger between these entities ultimately failed in Delaware’s Chancery Court when Judge J. Travis Laster, who oversaw the trial in 2019, ruled that neither entity could recover damages for breach of contract as a result of the failed merger because of executive battles, unfulfilled contract obligations, and questionable conduct. Id. This article will address what happened during the failed Cigna-Anthem merger, why the court denied damages, the reasons the merger failed, and the effect that the failed merger will have on the mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) market moving forward.
Read MoreAs the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. in early March, millions of American workers were furloughed or laid off, leaving many without a reliable income. (Kathryn Vasel, CNN Business). Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 17.8 million in June 2020, an almost 8% increase since February. (The Employment Situation, U.S. Dept. of Labor). Economists estimate unemployment could reach 32.1% in the second quarter of 2020, surpassing the Great Depression’s 24.9% peak. (Chris Morris, Fortune). Despite thousands of American workers struggling to pay their bills, Chief Executive Officers (“CEOs”) remain largely untouched. (Anders Melin, Bloomberg Law).
Read MoreAre the search results we see on the Internet the actual result of our inquiry, or is each search curated to the individual’s preferences and beliefs? Biased Google searches and social media ads, and the power of Big Tech to influence results became a concern in the wake of the 2016 presidential election after reports surfaced that Russia pushed propaganda to social media users to influence voters. (NBC News). Further, politicians from Ted Cruz to Elizabeth Warren have also voiced broader concerns about Big Tech being able to silence free speech and suppress freedom of information by selectively targeting users with ads biased toward their beliefs. (The Verge). Public officials and social media moguls recognize there is a problem, but the question is how to regulate this data that is collected from users to create biased ads. Proposals have ranged from creating consumer privacy regulations to breaking up Big Tech’s market power or regulating them like utilities. Much of the focus in recent years has been on the former.
Read MoreOn October 31, 2018 the SEC adopted new mining disclosure requirements that were originally proposed under the Obama Administration. (Andrew Ramonas, Bloomberg Law). According to an agency press release, the amendments, which modify both the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), will “provide investors with a more comprehensive understanding of a registrant’s mining properties, which should help them make more informed investment decisions.” (SEC, Press Release). The new rules eliminate and update Industry Guide 7, the current set of rules that have been called “woefully out of date.” (Anderson, Brenkert, and Doerksen, Dorsey & Whitney LLP).
Read MoreCorporate boards face increasing compliance responsibilities and must consider how best to handle those responsibilities. There are various sources of the increasing burdens and pressures being placed on corporate boards. Among them are the traditional legal duties of due care, good faith, and loyalty placed on directors, with possibly severe consequences if directors fail to fulfill those duties. Included in the duty of care is the especially challenging duty of establishing and monitoring internal controls, the so-called Caremark duty, which lies at the heart of fulfilling the board’s compliance responsibilities.
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