Patterson Belknap is proud to announce that 18 of our attorneys and 7 of our practice areas have been recognized in the newly released Chambers USA 2026. Chambers is a leading professional legal research company sharing detailed rankings and insights into the world's top lawyers, legal departments and law firms. The following firm practices were recognized by Chambers: Advertising: Litigation - Nationwide Intellectual Property: Patent - New York Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets - New York Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded - New York Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations: The Elite - New York Litigation: Securities: Institutional Plaintiffs - Mainly RMBS Litigation - New York Real Estate: Mainly Dirt - New York In addition, the following firm attorneys received recognition: Michael F. Buchanan in Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations - New York William F. Cavanaugh in Intellectual Property:...

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a press release on April 7, 2026, announcing the agency’s enforcement results for transitional period under the new presidential administration.[1] Describing FY 2025 as “a unique period of transition,” the statement pointed to a pulse of enforcement actions initiated between October and December 2024 [2] under outgoing SEC Chair Gary Gensler, critiquing the activity as “unprecedented rush” and the focus as an “aggressive pursuit of novel legal theories.”[3]. Current SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins described the shift as having “redirected resources toward the types of misconduct that inflict the greatest harm—particularly fraud, market manipulation, and abuses of trust.”[4] During FY 2025, the SEC brought 303 standalone enforcement actions, a combination of civil suits and administrative procedures that...

From sports betting to prediction markets, the phenomenon some call "the casino-ification of America" has captured the American zeitgeist. Sports betting in particular has become ubiquitous since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA, which opened the door for states to legalize sports gambling. Fans can now regularly bet on games and player performances directly from their smartphones. And, as several recent criminal indictments have alleged, some bettors are capitalizing on their access to inside information to obtain an unfair advantage on their wagers. This article will discuss how, because sports-related inside information continues to become more valuable, organizations including professional sports leagues, governing bodies, college athletic conferences, athletic departments and teams are playing an increasingly prominent role in...

Introduction On April 30, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order (the “Order”) designed to expand access to retirement savings for the tens of millions of American workers who currently lack employer-sponsored retirement plans, including many small-business employees, part-time workers, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals facing barriers to saving for retirement. The Order is designed to complement the Federal Saver's Match enacted under the SECURE 2.0 Act, which provides eligible workers with a federal matching contribution of up to $1,000 for retirement savings, and to promote high-quality, low-cost individual retirement account (“IRA”) access. Key Provisions and Implications The Order directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the “Secretary”) to establish, by January 1, 2027, an informational website (TrumpIRA.gov) that will serve as a...

A bankruptcy judge has ruled that a debtor can satisfy the Bankruptcy Code’s rehabilitation standard by selling its assets as a going concern and thereby avoid conversion from chapter 11 to chapter 7. In the same decision, the court denied a motion seeking the appointment of what the movants called an “examiner with expanded powers.” In re Deqser, LLC, Case No. 25-10687, 2026 Bankr. LEXIS 1004 (Bankr. D. Del. Apr. 22, 2026). The debtors operated a laundry business that serviced hotels located in New York City. The business suffered a downturn following an electrical fire at its facility as well as problems with its software. The debtors filed chapter 11 in early 2025. During their case, the debtors lost about $200,000 a...

On May 15, 2026, Patterson Belknap successfully secured the dismissal of a False Claims Act lawsuit brought by the Florida Attorney General's Office (the "Florida AG Office") against the firm’s client, education solutions provider McGraw Hill, LLC ("McGraw Hill"), in Florida's Second Judicial Circuit Court. The lawsuit was brought in August 2025 following an investigation and subpoena process in which the Florida AG's Office alleged that McGraw Hill violated Florida’s “most favored nation” pricing statute. The Court ruled that Florida’s most favored nation statute did not regulate the sale of materials within Florida, requiring dismissal of the entirety of the Florida AG Office’s complaint with prejudice. The case was brought by the State of Florida against McGraw Hill and Savvas, another provider...

Before you press "go" to launch your next business idea, as a founder and entrepreneur of a start-up company you should address an important (if uninspiring) step: employment law compliance. Complacency now can turn into an expensive distraction later, with the potential to create surprise liabilities and maybe even scuttle future deals. This alert flags core employment law issues every start-up should tackle now so they don't snowball later. Onboarding Compliance Checklist Before work can begin, employers must check an ever-growing number of compliance boxes: Register to Do Business: Register your company in each state where you have employees (e.g., the local departments of tax, labor, state, etc.). Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance: Obtain both in each state where you have employees. New Hire Reporting:...

On Wednesday, June 10, Partner Amy Vegari will lead a panel at the Practising Law Institute's Current Developments in Federal Practice 2026 titled "Evidence Developments in Federal Civil Practice." With Hon. Sarah L. Cave (United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York), Hon. Joseph A. Marutollo (United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York), and Lara A. Flath (Partner, Complex Litigation and Trials, Skadden), she will explore recent updates to the Federal Rules of Evidence and review emerging case law on important evidentiary issues. To learn more, please click here.

On May 27, 2026, Patterson Belknap secured a significant victory on behalf of its client, Drink Recess, Inc. ("Recess"). The dispute involves allegations of trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract claims against Recess and three Recess employees (including its co-CEO), each of whom had previously worked at plaintiffs’ company. Plaintiffs alleged that the individual employees had breached their non-competes by accepting employment at Recess and that prior to their departures these employees had taken numerous documents containing trade secrets and other confidential information. Plaintiffs also alleged that Recess tortiously interfered with the individual defendants’ contracts, knowingly participated in the individual defendants’ breaches of fiduciary duty, and engaged in trade secret misappropriation. In March 2026, Plaintiffs filed a motion for a temporary restraining order...

A professional seeking to represent a debtor under Bankruptcy Code section 327(a) must not hold an interest adverse to the bankruptcy estate and must be disinterested.   A debtor’s insiders often cannot satisfy these tests. The Bankruptcy Code defines “insider” to include a “relative” of the debtor. And a “relative” is someone related to the debtor “within the third degree as determined by the common law." What does this latter phrase mean and how is it applied? In a recent case, a chapter 11 debtor sought to employ an accounting firm under section 327(a). The principal of the accounting firm was the first cousin of the owner of the debtor corporation. The U.S. Trustee objected to the retention, arguing that the debtor’s cousin was an...

Patterson Belknap is proud to announce that 18 of our attorneys and 7 of our practice areas have been recognized in the newly released Chambers USA 2026. Chambers is a leading professional legal research company sharing detailed rankings and insights into the world's top lawyers, legal departments and law firms. The following firm practices were recognized by Chambers: Advertising: Litigation - Nationwide Intellectual Property: Patent - New York Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets - New York Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded - New York Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations: The Elite - New York Litigation: Securities: Institutional Plaintiffs - Mainly RMBS Litigation - New York Real Estate: Mainly Dirt - New York In addition, the following firm attorneys received recognition: Michael F. Buchanan in Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations - New York William F. Cavanaugh in Intellectual Property:...

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a press release on April 7, 2026, announcing the agency’s enforcement results for transitional period under the new presidential administration.[1] Describing FY 2025 as “a unique period of transition,” the statement pointed to a pulse of enforcement actions initiated between October and December 2024 [2] under outgoing SEC Chair Gary Gensler, critiquing the activity as “unprecedented rush” and the focus as an “aggressive pursuit of novel legal theories.”[3]. Current SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins described the shift as having “redirected resources toward the types of misconduct that inflict the greatest harm—particularly fraud, market manipulation, and abuses of trust.”[4] During FY 2025, the SEC brought 303 standalone enforcement actions, a combination of civil suits and administrative procedures that...

From sports betting to prediction markets, the phenomenon some call "the casino-ification of America" has captured the American zeitgeist. Sports betting in particular has become ubiquitous since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA, which opened the door for states to legalize sports gambling. Fans can now regularly bet on games and player performances directly from their smartphones. And, as several recent criminal indictments have alleged, some bettors are capitalizing on their access to inside information to obtain an unfair advantage on their wagers. This article will discuss how, because sports-related inside information continues to become more valuable, organizations including professional sports leagues, governing bodies, college athletic conferences, athletic departments and teams are playing an increasingly prominent role in...

Introduction On April 30, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order (the “Order”) designed to expand access to retirement savings for the tens of millions of American workers who currently lack employer-sponsored retirement plans, including many small-business employees, part-time workers, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals facing barriers to saving for retirement. The Order is designed to complement the Federal Saver's Match enacted under the SECURE 2.0 Act, which provides eligible workers with a federal matching contribution of up to $1,000 for retirement savings, and to promote high-quality, low-cost individual retirement account (“IRA”) access. Key Provisions and Implications The Order directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the “Secretary”) to establish, by January 1, 2027, an informational website (TrumpIRA.gov) that will serve as a...

A bankruptcy judge has ruled that a debtor can satisfy the Bankruptcy Code’s rehabilitation standard by selling its assets as a going concern and thereby avoid conversion from chapter 11 to chapter 7. In the same decision, the court denied a motion seeking the appointment of what the movants called an “examiner with expanded powers.” In re Deqser, LLC, Case No. 25-10687, 2026 Bankr. LEXIS 1004 (Bankr. D. Del. Apr. 22, 2026). The debtors operated a laundry business that serviced hotels located in New York City. The business suffered a downturn following an electrical fire at its facility as well as problems with its software. The debtors filed chapter 11 in early 2025. During their case, the debtors lost about $200,000 a...

On May 15, 2026, Patterson Belknap successfully secured the dismissal of a False Claims Act lawsuit brought by the Florida Attorney General's Office (the "Florida AG Office") against the firm’s client, education solutions provider McGraw Hill, LLC ("McGraw Hill"), in Florida's Second Judicial Circuit Court. The lawsuit was brought in August 2025 following an investigation and subpoena process in which the Florida AG's Office alleged that McGraw Hill violated Florida’s “most favored nation” pricing statute. The Court ruled that Florida’s most favored nation statute did not regulate the sale of materials within Florida, requiring dismissal of the entirety of the Florida AG Office’s complaint with prejudice. The case was brought by the State of Florida against McGraw Hill and Savvas, another provider...