NLRB Claims Lack of Jurisdiction, Dismisses Northwestern Football Players’ Petition to Unionize

In the dismissal, the NLRB wrote, “the Board held that asserting jurisdiction would not promote labor stability due to the nature and structure of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).” The NLRB wrote that the dismissal is specific to this particular petition saying, “This decision is narrowly focused to apply only to the players in this case and does not preclude reconsideration of this issue in the future.”


Two Citigroup Subsidiaries reach $180 Million Hedge Fund Fraud Settlements

As part of to the settlements, Citigroup does not admit, nor deny the SEC charges. The proceeds of the agreement will be diverted to investors who were harmed by the funds. Both investments were sold through Citigroup Private Bank as well as through Smith Barney. Citigroup spokesperson Danielle Romero-Apsilos said in an emailed statement, “We are pleased to have resolved this matter,” although offering little elaboration.


Connecticut High-Court Rules against Death Penalty

The Connecticut legislature voted in 2012 to abolish the death penalty, however, that measure only affected future crimes committed in the state. Calling it unconstitutional, Associate Justice Richard Palmer wrote the majority opinion, stating that the death penalty “no longer comports with contemporary standards of decency and no longer serves any legitimate penological purpose.”


New York’s “Responsible Banking” Law Ruled Unconstitutional

In U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Monday, Judge Katherine Polk Failla issued New York’s mayor Bill De Blasio a notable defeat of a law intended to regulate the community-mindedness of the many financial institutions that inhabit the city. New York’s city council passed the Responsible Banking Act (RBA) in 2012, requiring banks in the


Florida Governor Settles Public-Records Transparency Lawsuit…Again

Recently re-elected Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott agreed to terms with Tallahassee attorney Steven Andrews regarding a dispute over public records disclosure involving a property close to the governor’s mansion. Andrews sued Scott in 2012 after the governor stated his intent to use state funds to buy a building near a property known as “The



Goldman Sachs Tentatively Agrees to $270 Million Settlement as Mortgage Security Litigation Winds Down

Another domino has reportedly fallen in the aftermath of the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) meltdown that was mostly responsible for the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Multiple media outlets are reporting that Goldman Sachs will settle a class-action lawsuit led by the NECA-IBEW’s Health and Welfare Pension Fund of Illinois, among other investors, to


U.S. Prosecutors Ask Supreme Court to Review Newman Insider Trading Ruling

New York-based U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara may be the greatest prosecutor who ever lived. From the Bernie Madoff scandal to Toyota, to a large portion of the New York state legislature; he has left a historic level of convictions and penalty awards. This includes a remarkable streak of 85 consecutive insider trading convictions before losing


Former Executive Could Face Life for Peanuts

7/24/2015 The U.S. Probation Office has recommended that the former owner of Peanut Corporation of America, Stewart Parnell, be sentenced to life in prison for allowing several shipments of peanuts from facilities infected with salmonella. The peanuts led to the deadliest food outbreak in U.S. history from 2008-2009, causing nine deaths and over 700 illnesses


JP Morgan Agrees to $388 Million Class-Action Settlement for Mortgage-Backed Securities Dealings

On Friday, banking giant JP Morgan Chase agreed to a $388 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company misled investors regarding the stability of $10 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The lead plaintiff in the case was the Fort Worth employees’ retirement fund, along with others including the Northern and Southern