Topic: D&O Liability

A federal court, applying New York law, recently held that a “professional services” exclusion in a D&O policy applied to lawsuits against a broker-dealer arising out of its underwriting and marketing of shares issued by a set of real estate investment trusts (or “REITs”). See David Lerner Assocs. v. Philadelphia Indem. Ins. Co., No. 2:12-cv-01609-JFB-AKT (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 29, 2013). 

In an exhaustive 161-page ruling issued on Friday, Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the Southern District of New York dismissed the majority of the claims brought by plaintiffs seeking damages for losses caused by LIBOR. 

In a complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, home mortgage purchaser Freddie Mac has injected itself into the already sprawling network of cases alleging wrongdoings in connection with the USD LIBOR manipulation scandal. Freddie Mac has named more than a dozen major banks that sat on the USD LIBOR panel as defendants, and, in a new twist, is the first plaintiff to also sue the British Bankers’ Association and several related entities.

Earlier this week Federico Buenrostro, who headed the influential California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2002 through 2008, was indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud charges stemming from his involvement in falsifying documents as part of a “pay-to-play” scheme at the pension fund. The indictment is the result of a four year investigation by the SEC, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. 

The second day of the 2013 PLUS D&O Symposium featured panel discussions on typical concerns of corporate directors, D&O exposures outside the United States, D&O claims handling, and thoughts about what will drive the industry in 2013. There was also an insightful luncheon keynote address on coping with the volatile economy. 

The first day of the 2013 PLUS D&O Symposium featured panel discussions on regulatory and securities litigation trends, D&O claims in the context of private companies and non-profits, coverage “wish lists,” and current issues in underwriting for financial institutions. There was also a luncheon keynote address on the general convergence of reinsurance and specialty insurance. 

On the first morning of the PLUS D&O Symposium, a panel discussed the emerging field of D&O insurance issued to private and non-profit companies, and whether this market was a “Nest Egg or Power Keg.” The panelists commented that insurers of private companies can be exposed to broad lawsuits involving unexpected liabilities that were not intended to be within the scope of D&O coverage. 

The annual PLUS D&O Symposium is underway in New York. Once again, Edwards Wildman attorneys John Hughes, Mary-Pat Cormier, Alex Henlin, and Jonathan Toren are attending the event, and will provide updates on what they see and hear.   

On December 3, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission commenced administrative proceedings against the China affiliates of the Big Four accounting firms and another large accounting firm. 

On November 30, 2012, the Securities Exchange Commission announced that it has filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York against China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited (“CNEP”) and a number of its current and former directors and officers (Securities and Exchange Commission v. China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited, et al., Civil Action No. 12-CV-8696 (S.D.N.Y.)).  CNEP is a Nevada corporation with principal executive offices in New York and oil drilling operations in China.