Mergers & Acquisitions

  • December 18, 2024

    Italy's UniCredit Increases Stake In Commerzbank To 28%

    Italian bank UniCredit said Wednesday that it has increased its stake in German lender Commerzbank to approximately 28%, amid speculation about a controversial takeover.

  • December 17, 2024

    Del. Justices Won't Revive Investors' $2.4B EV SPAC Deal Suit

    The Delaware Supreme Court has declined to reinstate a proposed class action in the state's Chancery Court that accused a blank-check company of withholding key information from investors ahead of its $2.4 billion go-public deal with electric-vehicle maker Canoo Holdings Ltd.

  • December 17, 2024

    Franchise Group Can Keep Exclusive Control Of Its Ch. 11

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday denied a motion to end the plan exclusivity window and other bankruptcy rights for debtors in Franchise Group Inc.'s Chapter 11, saying possible intercompany claims don't justify relief that the debtor argued would plunge the case into chaos.

  • December 17, 2024

    Quinn Emanuel, Keller Postman Want To Lead Live Nation Suit

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Keller Postman LLC attorneys told a California federal court that they are best suited to represent proposed classes of consumers accusing Live Nation and Ticketmaster of monopolizing the ticketing services space, saying they "developed the heart" of the consumers' claims.

  • December 17, 2024

    Worker Claims Merger Can't Nix Pa. Medical Pot Protection

    An engineering company unlawfully fired a Pennsylvania worker after he tested positive for cannabis usage, even though the employer knew about the worker's medical marijuana prescription, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court.

  • December 17, 2024

    DOJ Antitrust Division Head Kanter Stepping Down Friday

    The head of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Jonathan Kanter, announced his imminent departure Tuesday, leaving the agency after a little over three years and with a legacy of dramatically ramped-up monopolization enforcement, an extremely low tolerance for potentially problematic transactions and more aggressive criminal enforcement.

  • December 17, 2024

    T-Mobile-UScellular Link Will Help Consumers, Think Tank Says

    A free-market think tank is urging the federal government to clear the way for T-Mobile's $4.4 billion purchase of UScellular's wireless operations, saying in a new report that because the smaller UScellular poses no real competitive threat to T-Mobile, the deal could carry significant consumer benefits through increased competition.

  • December 17, 2024

    Drug Co. Investor Sues In Del. Over $140M Insider Windfall

    A pension fund investor in Cerevel Therapeutics Holdings Inc. has sued Bain Capital Investors LLC and other alleged insiders of the company in Delaware's Court of Chancery, accusing them of lining up a secondary offering in the biopharmaceutical venture before disclosure of its planned sale to AbbVie.

  • December 17, 2024

    Northwest Bancshares Buys Peer Penns Woods In $270M Deal

    Dinsmore & Shohl LLP-advised Northwest Bancshares Inc. has agreed to purchase Stevens & Lee PC-led Penns Woods Bancorp Inc. in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $270.4 million, the organizations said Tuesday.

  • December 17, 2024

    Fuji Soft Favors KKR Offer Over Higher Bain Bid

    Fuji Soft said in a statement Tuesday that it supports a buyout tender offer from U.S. private equity firm KKR that is worth about $4.15 billion and opposes a competing, higher bid from Bain Capital.

  • December 17, 2024

    Allianz Pulls $1.6B Bid For Singapore's Income Insurance

    Germany's Allianz SE has withdrawn its all-cash offer to buy a majority stake in Singapore-based Income Insurance Ltd. for 2.2 billion Singapore dollars ($1.64 billion), citing opposition from the Singaporean government.

  • December 17, 2024

    Dutch Chipmaker To Buy Vehicle Connectivity Biz For $243M

    NXP Semiconductors NV said Tuesday that it plans to buy Aviva Links, an in-vehicle connectivity business, for $242.5 million, to offer additional automotive network products.

  • December 17, 2024

    Carlsberg-Britvic £3.3B Deal Gets UK, EU Green Light

    Antitrust authorities in the U.K. and Europe said Tuesday that they have cleared the planned £3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) takeover by Danish brewer Carlsberg of U.K. soft drinks maker Britvic PLC.

  • December 16, 2024

    Ginkgo Bioworks Investors Get Final OK Of $17.8M Settlement

    Investors in biotech company Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings Inc. have gotten final approval for their $17.75 million deal to end proposed class action claims that the company and its leaders distorted Ginkgo's finances, mischaracterizing certain related party deals, to garner shareholder support for its merger with a special purpose acquisition company.

  • December 16, 2024

    TikTok Brings Sale-Or-Ban Fight To High Court

    TikTok asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to stay a federal law that would force its owners to divest from the wildly popular social media app or shut its U.S. operation down just before Donald Trump's inauguration, saying his administration should get a say in the app's fate.

  • December 16, 2024

    'Plans Do Matter,' Tempur Sealy Says In Final Merger Hearing

    Tempur Sealy made its final push Monday in support of its $4 billion planned Mattress Firm purchase, telling a judge during closing arguments that the Federal Trade Commission hadn't shown that the company planned to deviate from its intent for Mattress Firm to remain autonomous. 

  • December 16, 2024

    Merger Enforcers End Year On Upswing

    The Biden administration's antitrust enforcers have boasted that one side effect of their aggressive approach to merger enforcement has been helping stop problematic deals from being cut in the first place, but the agencies also scored key court rulings blocking transactions in their final year that could have a more enduring effect.

  • December 16, 2024

    Court Approves Mandated $115M Door Factory Sale

    A Virginia federal court has approved the planned $115 million sale of a door-skin manufacturing plant after a landmark order forced Jeld-Wen to unload the factory in a long-running private antitrust case by rival Steves & Sons Inc.

  • December 16, 2024

    Albertsons Says Kroger 'Squandered' $25B Merger Bid

    The Kroger Co. Inc. "willfully squandered" opportunities to complete a now-blocked $24.6 billion mega-merger with Albertsons Cos. Inc., according to an unsealed five-count lawsuit in Delaware's Court of Chancery potentially seeking billions in damages.

  • December 16, 2024

    US Lends $9.6B To Build EV Battery Plants In The South

    The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to loan Ford Motor Co. and South Korean battery manufacturer SK On up to $9.63 billion for a joint venture that includes building electric vehicle battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky, according to a Monday statement.

  • December 16, 2024

    Honeywell May Split Aerospace Biz Amid Activist Pressure

    Honeywell International Inc. on Monday said it is mulling a separation of its aerospace business, after activist investment firm Elliott Investment Management LP in November pushed for the industrial conglomerate to separate itself into two independent companies.

  • December 16, 2024

    3 Firms Guide Goldman Sachs On Buying Synthon Stake

    The alternative investment arm of Goldman Sachs said Monday that it plans to buy a majority stake in the drugmaker Synthon from British investment firm BC Partners LLP, in a deal that values the Dutch company at a reported €2 billion ($2.1 billion).

  • December 16, 2024

    Gibson Dunn Guides Vera Wang In Sale Of IP To WHP Global

    New York-based brand management firm WHP Global, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Pryor Cashman LLP, on Monday announced that it has agreed to buy all the intellectual property of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP-advised luxury designer brand Vera Wang.

  • December 16, 2024

    Anglo American-Backed Engine Tech Co. Files Ch. 11

    A developer of hybrid electric hauling equipment has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with nearly $98 million in debt and an agreement with its secured lender and parent, mining company Anglo American, to pursue a sale.

  • December 16, 2024

    Gov't Approves £3.6B Royal Mail Sale To Czech Tycoon

    A conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský said Monday that its planned £3.6 billion ($4.5 billion) purchase of Royal Mail's parent has moved a step closer to delivery after the U.K. government approved it — with several conditions.

Expert Analysis

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • First-Of-Its-Kind Chancery Ruling Will Aid SPAC Defendants

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    The Delaware Chancery Court's first full dismissal of claims challenging a special purpose acquisition company transaction under the entire fairness doctrine in the recent Hennessy Capital Acquisition Stockholder Litigation establishes useful precedent to abate the flood of SPAC litigation, say Lisa Bugni and Benjamin Lee at King & Spalding.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Anticipating Disputes In Small Biz Partnerships And LLCs

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    In light of persistently high failures of small business partnerships and limited liability companies, mediator Frank Burke discusses proactive strategies for protecting and defining business rights and responsibilities, as well as reactive measures for owners.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 37 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • How Generative AI May Aid Merger Clearance Process

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    Generative artificial intelligence capable of analyzing and searching large datasets stands to revolutionize the merger clearance process, including by significantly reducing the time and effort required to respond to Hart-Scott-Rodino second requests, say Kenneth Koch and Brian Blush at BDO USA.

  • Antitrust In Retail: The Meaning Of 'Accessible Luxury'

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    In order for the Federal Trade Commission to block a deal that would put six "accessible luxury" brands, including Coach and Michael Kors, under one roof, the agency will need to prove that this category is distinct from the true luxury or mass-market categories, says David Kully at Holland & Knight.

  • A Case Study For Calif. Cities In Water Utility Takeovers

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    With growing water scarcity and drier weather looming, some local governments in California have sought to acquire investor-owned water utilities by eminent domain — but the 2016 case of Claremont v. Golden State Water is a reminder that such municipalization attempts must meet certain statutory requirements, say attorneys at Nossaman.

  • 4 Important Events In Bank Regulation: A Midyear Review

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    The first six months of 2024 have been fairly stable for the banking industry, though U.S. Supreme Court decisions and proposals from regulators have significantly affected the regulatory standards applicable to insured depository institutions, says Christina Grigorian at Katten.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

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