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The SEC Signs on to Arbitration
FEATURED
September 29, 2025
The SEC Signs on to Arbitration
By: George Calhoun
Early last week, on September 17, 2025, the SEC announced that it will no longer consider the presence of a mandatory arbitration provision in a company’s charter or bylaws when deciding whether to accelerate the effectiveness of a registration statement. This policy shift will permit companies to include arbitration clauses in their governing documents to require securities litigants (including class action plaintiffs) to pursue their claims in arbitration proceedings rather than court cases. The decision leaves open how arbitration provisions might apply in direct actions versus derivative actions. Nonetheless, this could result in a significant reduction in private securities litigation. The SEC focused its decision on the recent trend in U.S. Supreme Court precedent concerning the Federal Arbitration Act and…
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Cal. High Court Softens Draconian Arbitration Fee Rule
August 19, 2025
Cal. High Court Softens Draconian Arbitration Fee Rule
By: Robert Ward
California law has often tested just how much room the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) leaves for states to regulate consumer arbitration agreements. Last week, in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court,[1] the California Supreme Court determined that at least one claimant-favoring provision of the California Arbitration Act (CAA), California Code of Civil Procedure § 1281.98 comes close to, but does not cross, that line. At the same…
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
July 30, 2025
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
By: Nicole Kardell
Note the below chart was updated on July 24, 2025 to reflect recent developments. The number of U.S. states that have adopted privacy laws grows regularly. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of crossover, at least when it comes to thresholds that companies must meet in order to trigger compliance requirements. We provide below a chart that summarizes these thresholds by state, including…
Assert Your FTC Defense Before It’s Too Late
February 1, 2018
Assert Your FTC Defense Before It’s Too Late
By: Ifrah Law
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) is granted extraordinary authority to conduct investigations without giving notice to the companies in its sightlines, and the agency can enact sudden and unforeseen enforcement actions like asset freezes and TROs which take its targets completely by surprise. Often a company’s first clue it is under investigation is when it is served a subpoena and its business operations are shut…
2018: The End of Cryptocurrencies?
January 22, 2018
2018: The End of Cryptocurrencies?
By: Steven Eichorn
Cryptocurrencies (e.g. Bitcoin) took the broader public by storm in 2017 and had a breakout year. There were outsized and even unprecedented returns, along with extreme volatility and even more extreme volatility. The question for 2018 is whether cryptocurrencies had their “fifteen minutes of fame” or they are here to stay? Blockchain technology (which is widely understood to have huge upside benefits) is distinct from…
Mount Sinai Health System Defeats TCPA Action for Flu Shot Reminder
January 18, 2018
Mount Sinai Health System Defeats TCPA Action for Flu Shot Reminder
By: Michelle Cohen
No one likes being on the receiving end of an immunization shot, but many of us submit to a flu shot each fall or winter. David Latner, a patient of the Mount Sinai Health System’s West Park Medical facility, apparently found a single text from West Park reminding him about flu shots to be alarming in its own right (and an opportunity to sue). Latner…
The Data Breach Legal Limbo on Consumers’ Ability to Sue Hacked Companies
January 16, 2018
The Data Breach Legal Limbo on Consumers’ Ability to Sue Hacked Companies
By: Nicole Kardell
The first of the year is a good time to make assessments, resolutions and predictions. We have some recommendations for companies that store and process consumer data: It is a good time to assess the strength of your data security measures and resolve to meet industry standards where you fall behind, because we predict continued pressure on companies to reduce the risk of data breaches…
Will Big Cyber Hacks Cause the SEC to Issue New Guidelines?
January 11, 2018
Will Big Cyber Hacks Cause the SEC to Issue New Guidelines?
By: Ifrah Law
Following a change of heart from a top Securities and Exchange Commission regulator, public companies will likely soon face new guidelines for how they report cybersecurity breaches to investors. SEC Corporate Finance Division Director Bill Hinman was quoted as saying that when Chairman Jay Clayton first asked him if the existing SEC guidance needed to be refreshed, he did not think so. Hinman changed his…
