Proskauer on Private Equity Litigation

Category Archives: Venture Capital

Veil-Piercing Risks for Private Equity Managers Highlighted in Recent Court Decision

A recent case in a North Dakota district court is a reminder to private equity funds and managers that, under certain conditions, they may be held responsible for actions of a fund’s portfolio companies. Courts allow plaintiffs to pierce the corporate veil as a check against improper abuse of the corporate form. When one corporate … Continue Reading

Rent the Runway Walks into the Litigation Spotlight

By Hena M. Vora and Michael R. Hackett on April 23, 2019 Posted in Business Development Companies, Compliance, Disputes, Private Equity Litigation, Venture Capital

There’s a new unicorn in town, and this time, it isn’t just another tech company. Rent the Runway, also known as RTR, is now officially valued at over $1 billion after its most recent funding round which raised $125 million. The high-end rental clothing brand was launched in 2009 by female founders, including co-founder and CEO Jennifer … Continue Reading

Fraud Claims Against Startup Founder Involving Secondary Market Sales Demonstrate SEC Focus on Privately-Held Companies

By Joshua M. Newville and Brian Hooven on April 11, 2019 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

Last week the SEC announced a settlement of fraud claims against the founder of Jumio, Inc, a private mobile payments company, for misstating the company’s financial results and using those financials to sell his company shares on the secondary market. This case is a reminder that privately negotiated securities transactions and private, VC-funded companies are … Continue Reading

Delaware Chancery Declines Post-Filing Use of Section 220 Books and Records Inspection Request

By Hena M. Vora, Lucy Wolf and Michael R. Hackett on February 26, 2019 Posted in Disputes, Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Venture Capital

A recent decision by the Delaware Chancery Court suggests that a litigant might forego the ability to file a books and records request if it waits to do so until after the lawsuit is filed. Last month the Delaware Chancery Court dismissed just such an action, characterizing the request for a books and records inspection … Continue Reading

The Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2019

An increasingly sophisticated and active OCIE division, innovative market disruptors, a maturing credit cycle, and a philosophical change in how the private fund industry views and utilizes litigation are likely to lead to increased regulatory scrutiny and litigation risk for advisers (and their funds) in 2019. With that backdrop, we are pleased to present our … Continue Reading

SEC Staff Announces 2019 OCIE Examination Priorities

By Anthony Drenzek on January 15, 2019 Posted in Compliance, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has released its annual priorities publication for 2019. Containing both a look back at the program’s accomplishments for fiscal year 2018 and a look forward into its initiatives for 2019, this annual report sets out important guidance for private fund managers in administering their compliance programs and … Continue Reading

Proskauer Private Investment Funds Group Releases 2018 Annual Review and Outlook

By Anthony Drenzek on November 15, 2018 Posted in Compliance, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

Proskauer’s Private Investment Funds Group today released its 2018 Annual Review and Outlook for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and Other Private Funds. This yearly publication provides a summary of some of the significant changes and developments that occurred in the past year in the private equity and hedge funds space, as well as certain recommended … Continue Reading

Unicorns: The Tale Continues

By Joshua M. Newville, William Dalsen and Alexandra V. Bargoot on May 3, 2018 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, Examinations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

Potential disputes involving unicorns have been a hot topic for the last several years. We predicted that would continue this year in in our webinar and related blog post: The Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2018. In April, the Regional Director of the SEC’s San Francisco office, Jina Choi, confirmed … Continue Reading

Regulatory Scrutiny of the ICO Market – What Fund Managers Should Know

By Joshua M. Newville, Anthony Drenzek and Brian Hooven on April 30, 2018 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

Last week, former CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler explained in remarks at M.I.T. that he believes the second and third most widely used virtual currencies—Ether and Ripple—may have been issued and traded in violation of securities regulations. This comes on the heels of a crackdown on cryptocurrency-related securities by the SEC, which is particularly focused on … Continue Reading

SEC Staff Issues Risk Alert on the Six Most Frequent Fee and Expense Compliance Issues

By Robert E. Plaze, Joshua M. Newville, Robert Leonard and Anthony Drenzek on April 19, 2018 Posted in Compliance, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

On April 12, 2018, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations issued a risk alert listing the most common compliance issues concerning fees and expenses charged by SEC-registered investment advisers. Advisers should review their practices, policies and procedures to ensure compliance with their advisory agreements and representations to clients in light of the fee … Continue Reading

Proskauer Adds Former SEC Enforcement Counsel, Samuel Waldon, As Partner Strengthening Its Securities Litigation Offering

By Timothy W. Mungovan on April 10, 2018 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, Examinations, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Credit, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital, Whistleblower

We are pleased to announce that partner Samuel Waldon has joined Proskauer’s Litigation Department in DC, enhancing the Firm’s securities litigation and regulatory enforcement practices. Among his other areas of focus, Sam will bolster the firm’s Asset Management Litigation team. “In today’s ever evolving regulatory landscape, Sam’s extensive experience at the SEC and his deep … Continue Reading

The Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2018

With the public equity markets at an all-time high and private equity fund raising setting new records, it might seem counterintuitive to forecast litigation and regulatory risks. The opposite is true. Disputes typically follow capital, and the steeper the growth curve, the greater the risk of litigation and regulatory scrutiny. With that backdrop, we are … Continue Reading

Proskauer Private Investment Funds Group Releases Annual Review and Outlook

By Anthony Drenzek and Michael R. Hackett on November 29, 2017 Posted in Compliance, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

Proskauer’s Private Investment Funds Group recently released its 2017 Annual Review and Outlook for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and Other Private Funds. This yearly publication provides a summary of some of the significant changes and developments that occurred in the past year in the private equity and hedge funds space, as well as certain … Continue Reading

Pay-to-Play – SEC Expands Scope of Rule to CABs

By Lucy Wolf, Anthony Drenzek, Michael R. Hackett and Joshua M. Newville on October 12, 2017 Posted in Compliance, Examinations, FINRA, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

The SEC’s pay-to-play rule has given advisers reason to worry about potential foot faults since its adoption. As we have noted in prior posts, the rule is filled with landmines and is therefore difficult to navigate. As was evident from the SEC’s announcement of a series of settlements of alleged pay-to-play violations in early 2017, even … Continue Reading

Veil-Piercing Under California Law – Heightened Risks for Fund Managers

By Manuel F Cachán, Joshua M. Newville and Lee Popkin on October 2, 2017 Posted in Disputes, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Securities Law, Venture Capital

We recently posted about the risks associated with veil-piercing claims and the ways in which fund managers can protect themselves from exposure to these claims. Our first post on veil-piercing focused on Delaware standards, while this post discusses California law. California law differs in several important respects from Delaware law on this topic. If a … Continue Reading

Veil Piercing/Alter Ego Determinations – How Fund Managers Can Protect Themselves

By Manuel F Cachán, Joshua M. Newville and Lee Popkin on September 20, 2017 Posted in Disputes, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Venture Capital

A veil piercing claim can be a worst-case scenario for a private fund manager dealing with a struggling portfolio company investment – the company fails, and ensuing legal claims are brought not only against the portfolio company, but also against the fund and its GPs. How can fund managers manage that risk? Limited liability is … Continue Reading

Snap Judgment: Unicorns Under Pressure and Addressing Risks of Private Lawsuits

By Joshua M. Newville, William Dalsen and Alexandra V. Bargoot on September 18, 2017 Posted in Disputes, Hedge Funds, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, SEC, Venture Capital

The recent IPOs of Snap, Inc. and Blue Apron indicate that while the IPO pipeline continues to flow, there may be a cautionary tale for “unicorns” – venture-backed companies with estimated valuations in excess of $1 billion. After Snap went public in March, it posted a $2.2 billion loss in its first quarter, yielding a … Continue Reading

Valuation of Illiquid Portfolio Investments – Avoiding Regulatory Risks with Form and Substance

By Joshua M. Newville, Timothy W. Mungovan and Anthony Drenzek on June 20, 2017 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

For private fund managers, the valuation of privately-held securities has been subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny. As the IPO on-ramp for private “unicorn” investments has lengthened, fund managers may hold illiquid investments for longer-than-expected time periods—and valuation-related risks increase as the time lengthens between purchase and exit. This is the second of two blog posts … Continue Reading

Cyber Attack Protection Steps for Investment Firms

By Kristen J. Mathews on May 1, 2017 Posted in Compliance, Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, Uncategorized, Venture Capital

We are reaching out to our investment firm clients to advise them of an email “spear phishing” scam that has targeted investment firms recently, attempting to lure their personnel into inadvertently revealing their email account credentials to criminal fraudsters, and making wire transfers to the criminal’s account instead of the intended account. There has been … Continue Reading

SEC Announces 2017 Compliance Outreach Program Seminars for Investment Companies and Investment Advisers

By Anthony Drenzek on March 27, 2017 Posted in Compliance, Examinations, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

On Thursday, March 23rd, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the opening of registration for its compliance outreach program seminars for investment companies and investment advisers. The seminars will be offered in four U.S. cities and are intended to help Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs) and other senior personnel enhance compliance programs at investment companies and … Continue Reading

SEC Speaks: 2017 Enforcement and Exam Trends for Private Funds

By Joshua M. Newville, Anthony Drenzek and Michael R. Hackett on March 13, 2017 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, Examinations, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

At the recent SEC Speaks program, sponsored by PLI, senior SEC staff members provided valuable insight into the SEC’s 2017 priorities for private funds. While the tenor of this year’s discussion seemed to focus more on retail investors, the staff discussed several topics that private fund advisers should keep in mind from both an enforcement … Continue Reading

The Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2017

Private investment funds and advisers are likely to face new regulatory challenges and increased litigation risks in 2017, not only because of a change in the administration, but also because many advisers have not corrected and aligned past practices with current regulatory guidance. In this post, we have highlighted ten areas that should be on … Continue Reading

SEC Shake-Up: President-Elect Trump Expected to Make Key Appointments

By Michael R. Hackett, Timothy W. Mungovan, Joshua M. Newville and Anthony Drenzek on November 16, 2016 Posted in Business Development Companies, Compliance, Disputes, Examinations, Hedge Funds, OCIE, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Securities Law, Venture Capital

In the wake of the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, Mary Jo White has announced her intent to step down from her role as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Chair White, the 31st and one of the longest-serving Chairs of the SEC, will be leaving her … Continue Reading

Fund Restructurings: How to Navigate a Conflict-Rich Environment

By Timothy W. Mungovan and Michael R. Hackett on October 19, 2016 Posted in Compliance, Disputes, Fund Restructurings, Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Private Equity Litigation, Regulation, SEC, Venture Capital

The number of private equity fund restructurings is likely to rise in the coming years. The current economic expansion will inevitably come to an end (at 87 months and counting, this expansion is already the third longest post-WWII) making exits more challenging, just as the terms expire on funds raised during the “golden era” (2003-2007). … Continue Reading