Investigations Posts

Employer Liability for Data Breaches: Avoid Getting Eaten By Your Own

Jan 31, 2018

Employer Liability for Data Breaches: Avoid Getting Eaten By Your Own

When a company suffers a data breach, it is hit with a barrage of issues. For instance, How can it safeguard against another breach? Who should it notify of the breach and when (Authorities? The people whose data was compromised?)? What type of measures should it undertake to minimize possible damage to those whose data…

Speed Bump or Dead End? The 2018 Retrial Prospects for Sen. Menendez

Jan 8, 2018

Speed Bump or Dead End? The 2018 Retrial Prospects for Sen. Menendez

This holiday season was undoubtedly festive for Senator Bob Menendez, whose corruption trial ended with a deadlocked jury in mid-November.  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to announce whether it will elect to re-try the New Jersey senator, but here are some of the factors they will, and will not, consider in making that…

The Territorial Tax System Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Jan 5, 2018

The Territorial Tax System Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Last year, the Senate and House approved the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act along partisan lines; on December 21st, President Trump signed the bill into law. Nearly 1100 pages long, the Act makes a number of sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code. Among other things, the bill reduces individual income tax rates, nearly doubles…

Mental Gymnastics: Silenced Voices of Victims in the Sexual Assault Case by USA Gymnastics Team Physician

Dec 11, 2017

Mental Gymnastics: Silenced Voices of Victims in the Sexual Assault Case by USA Gymnastics Team Physician

The high-profile prosecution of the disgraced physician who treated U.S. Olympic gymnasts ended with a stern sentence but a lingering mystery regarding victim rights.  U.S. District Court Judge Janet Neff, serving in the Western District of Michigan, sentenced Larry Nassar to 60 years in prison for his possession of child pornography, as well as some…

Did the Paradise Papers and Panama Papers Play a Role in the GOP Tax Plan?

Dec 5, 2017

Did the Paradise Papers and Panama Papers Play a Role in the GOP Tax Plan?

Congress is poised to deliver on tax reform this year. As part of the package, both houses are seeking to encourage the repatriation of trillions of dollars that corporations and wealthy individuals have been stockpiling offshore. For decades, corporations and wealthy individuals have been able to avoid taxes legally by transferring assets to tax-friendly jurisdictions…

Because We Can: Border Patrol Agent’s Presumed Authority To Search Your Electronic Devices

Nov 20, 2017

Because We Can: Border Patrol Agent’s Presumed Authority To Search Your Electronic Devices

This article was originally posted on FEE.org with the title “You Have a Right to Your Data at the Border” on November 18, 2017 Getting past U.S. Customs used to be an annoyance, an aggravating delay. But unless you were attempting to bring into the country something untoward (say, a delightfully stinky French cheese), you…

The Legal Fallout For Harvey Weinstein’s Hired Hands

Nov 13, 2017

The Legal Fallout For Harvey Weinstein’s Hired Hands

*This article was first published November 9, 2017 as an Expert Analysis – Opinion piece for Law360. The revelations surrounding the Harvey Weinstein cover-up are certainly cringeworthy, but are the actions of the mogul’s hired hands actually illegal? That Weinstein allegedly exploited and victimized women is terrible (even if far too common). The fact that so many…

Customer Data Collection: GDPR Changes Everything.

Oct 4, 2017

Customer Data Collection: GDPR Changes Everything.

Beginning on May 25, 2018, companies which process the personal data of European Union residents will be expected to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. Even companies located in the United States are subject to this regulation, and violating its terms may result in class actions and hefty fines. If your company…

SEC Continues to Focus on ICOs

Oct 3, 2017

SEC Continues to Focus on ICOs

A new enforcement initiative  by the Securities and Exchange Commission, part of its proclaimed efforts to address cyber-based threats and protect retail investors, indicates that the agency is including Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) under its broad blanket of protection. Recent actions by the agency in the case of REcoin give more clues to its position…

ICOs Facing an Uncertain Future in China and the U.S.

Sep 7, 2017

ICOs Facing an Uncertain Future in China and the U.S.

This week, in a joint statement issued by the People’s Bank of China, the securities and banking regulators, and other government agencies, the Chinese government declared that initial coin offerings (ICOs) constitute “illegal open financing behavior” and immediately froze all ICO activity.  The joint statement explained that the tokens issued in ICOs do not have…