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Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Sting, David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen, and now KISS. What do they all have in common? They have all sold their music catalogs in the past 10 years. Jackson and Springsteen reaped the biggest rewards at over $500M each. Catalog sales have become big business...
The Third Circuit has a reputation as being a “plain meaning” court—meaning that it strictly construes and applies the words of a statute. Its January 19, 2024, opinion in In re FTX Trading Ltd., No. 23-2297 (3rd Cir. Jan. 19, 2024) (“ FTX”) is an example. The relevant facts in the “highly complex”...
As a Los Angeles-based estate planning attorney, I am uneasy about California’s enactment of the Online Notarization Act, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The act and its related statutes authorize remote online notarization or RON by California notaries. RON is the process used when the notary...
"What happens to a band name when a band breaks up? In the case of The Guess Who, there was no agreement between the band members on use, so original bassist Jim Kale registered THE GUESS WHO as a trademark in the United States in 1986 without telling the other band members."
A previous article discussed the rising prevalence of mediation in large chapter 11 bankruptcies, especially its use in previously rare scenarios such as plan confirmation. Part II considers a more traditional mediation topic: adversary proceedings.
A recent opinion from the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals confirmed what should be settled law: deathbed gifts made by personal check delivered before death but deposited after death remain part of the donor’s taxable estate and thus subject to estate tax. A lot of taxes, legal fees, and headache...
This week we move away from the world of the standard retirement or health and welfare plans and into the world of executive compensation. Executive compensation arrangements provide a company with a highly flexible benefit to further attract and retain top talent. Issues in design and...
In the past two weeks, we have presented a few items that plan sponsors can review in hopes of curbing common employee benefits and executive compensation errors. This week in our Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) series, we touch on a small sample of common health and...
For better or for worse, the 401(k) plan has moved to center stage in the context of American retirement policy. Fittingly, Part 2 of this Employee Retirement Income Securities Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) driven series focuses on a handful of common misses that occur with 401(k) plans. Not Knowing the...
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) has a reputation for being intimidating and understandably so. Although plan sponsors must practically consider business needs and evaluate benefits alongside general labor and employment considerations, ERISA’s fiduciary standards may...