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This week the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that Delaware corporations may enforce federal forum selection clauses (so-called federal forum provisions or “FFPs”) for lawsuits alleging breaches of the Securities Act of 1933. See Salzberg v. Sciabacucchi, No. 346, 2019, 2020 Del. LEXIS 100 (March 18, 2020). This ruling is significant because Delaware companies can require the filing of ‘33 Act claims, including class actions, in federal court. Federal court is perceived as a more favorable forum than state court, including because of dismissal procedures and the perceived familiarity of federal jurists with the federal securities acts. By statute, for instance, federal courts already have exclusive jurisdiction of claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, i.e. Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 actions.
Continue Reading Keeping it All in the Family

On December 18, 2019, the SEC proposed to amend its definition of “Accredited Investor” with hopes to expand access to private capital markets to a wider range of investors.[1] The proposed changes create two new categories of natural persons who may be considered “accredited investors” and add to the categories of institutional investors who qualify. According to the SEC’s press release regarding the proposed changes, the purpose of the changes is to more effectively identify investors that have the “knowledge and expertise” to safely invest in private markets without the additional investor protections created by the filing requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).[2]
Continue Reading SEC Proposes to Update “Accredited Investor” Definition