The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a decision that may prevent the expansion of scheme liability under the federal securities laws. The SEC brought scheme liability allegations against Rio Tinto, its CEO, and its CFO, based on their alleged failure to correct prior materially misleading statements that had
Supreme Court
Supreme Court Hears Argument on Meaning of “Personal Benefit” in Insider Trading
By Alexandra Skellet & Jonathan Richman on
All eyes were on the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday as it heard arguments in Salman v. United States (No. 15-628) concerning the “personal benefit” required to establish a claim for insider trading. After an hour punctuated by the Justices’ constant questioning of attorneys for both the defendant and the government, it appears unlikely that the Supreme Court will radically depart from its 1983 decision in Dirks v. SEC, which held that insider trading violates the federal securities laws if an insider makes a gift of nonpublic information to a trading relative or friend.