In quick succession on 7 and 15 November 2023, the Administrative Court of Berlin (Verwaltungsgericht Berlin, the “VG Berlin”) has ruled on procedural matters in foreign direct investment review proceedings of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Corporate & Commercial
The Growing Causal Divide: But-For Causation in AKS/FCA Actions
In United States v. Regeneron, the District of Massachusetts Court recently joined the Sixth and Eighth Circuits in requiring the government to show a direct tie between kickbacks and referrals that proximately caused claims to federal healthcare programs to…
Affirmative Defenses Struck for Lack of Supporting Allegations
On November 14, 2023, justice Cohen of the New York County Commercial Division issued a decision in ARC NYWWPJV001, LLC v. WWP JV LLC, 2023 NY Slip Op. 34043(U), dismissing affirmative defenses for lack of supporting allegations, explaining:
ARC…
Both Breach of Contract and Violation of Judiciary Law 487 Reversed on Appeal
Salus v Berke 2023 NY Slip Op 06183 Decided on November 30, 2023 Appellate Division, Third Department is a case on the correct application of Judiciary Law 487 claims that an attorney took too much of a fee in a…
Troutman Pepper Tobacco + Nicotine Team to Attend FDLI Enforcement Conference
Bryan Haynes and Agustin Rodriguez of the Troutman Pepper Tobacco + Nicotine team will attend the Food and Drug Law Institute 2023 Enforcement Conference on Wednesday, December 6 in Washington D.C.
The conference will have two panels discussing hot topics…
The Evidence Behind E-SIGS

The COVID-19 pandemic has unsurprisingly resulted in many people in the business community, including lawyers, transacting business remotely. With that uptick comes more contracts utilizing electronic signatures and remote depositions and notarizations. Not only is the use of an e-signature generally…
Court Rules Director Of California Corporation Has A Duty To Disclose When Soliciting Consents
The California General Corporation Law permits shareholders to take action by written consent, unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation. Cal. Corp. Code § 603(a). When shareholder action is taken by written consent, the GCL imposes two specific notice…
Duty of Candor Continues Before the PTAB or Does it?
In an unprecedented PTAB decision involving Spectrum Solutions LLC (“Spectrum”) (Petitioner) and Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics (“Longhorn”) (Patent Owner), the Board found all five challenged patents invalid and imposed sanction against patent owner Longhorn for failure to meet the duty…
The Current Securities Landscape of Cryptocurrencies and NFTs
The value of assets on the blockchain has soared to billions of dollars, stored everywhere from Bitcoin to Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs to play-to-earn gaming. Some of those assets, though, have crashed and burned in the wake of market…
Skadden Discusses New SEC Pay-Versus-Performance Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations
On November 21, 2023, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Division of Corporation Finance issued eight new Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations (C&DIs), and revised two previously issued C&DIs, relating to the final pay-versus-performance (PVP) disclosure rules adopted…