A dispute over immunity for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) made its way to the Supreme Court in late October, after a power plant in India (financed in part by funds from the IFC) caused environmental harm to a group of farmers and fishermen living near it. Under the International Organizations Act of 1945, international […]

Washington, Colorado, and Arizona recently rejected initiatives that would have limited the use of fossil fuels. In Washington, voters rejected what would have been the nation’s first tax on carbon emissions. In Colorado, 57 percent of voters said “no” to a proposal that would have prohibited drilling close to densely populated or environmentally vulnerable sites. […]

General Electric Company (GE) released its third quarter results on October 30, showing a loss of $22.8 billion where $21 billion was attributed to a goodwill write-down of its power division. The company plans to restructure its power unit to help recover. Companies are required to test their goodwill for impairment at least annually. GE […]

Fox and Disney agreed to a $71.3 billion merger in July. Fox was eager to divest parts of the company that had shed earnings in light of online streaming, while Disney hoped to strengthen an upcoming streaming service intended to rival Hulu and Netflix. Ultimately, Disney defeated Comcast’s $65 billion all-cash offer with a $71.3 […]

Saudi Arabian journalist and political dissident Jamal Khashoggi was likely murdered by his own government. The Saudi government has more or less admitted its involvement in Khashoggi’s death. In response, many startups have declined to attend a major investment summit in Saudi Arabia. However, some startups have continued to accept money from an investment fund […]

Under Armour (UA) has come under attack due to a recent report alleging a hostile work environment for women. The report, conducted through dozens of interviews with current and former employees, exposed UA officials for charging strip club visits and gambling excursions onto company credit cards. Further, the report found many women felt demeaned in […]

When the clock hit 11 a.m. on November 2nd, almost 17,000 Google employees around the world walked out of their offices to protest the company’s poor handling of what seemed to be a pattern of sexual misconduct allegations against employees. The walkout, which commenced in Singapore and traveled its way to Google’s headquarters in California, […]

On October 26th Facebook removed 82 “Pages, Groups and accounts” that originated primarily in Iran. These Pages, Groups and accounts represented an organized effort to spread disinformation in the United States as a means of influencing public opinion and US midterm election results. While this particular network was seemingly minor, Facebook revealed that about 1 million […]

Last week, federal prosecutors brought charges against two parties believed to be at the helm of a massive fraud scheme involving Goldman Sachs and 1MDB, a Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund. Prosecutors alleged that the charged parties, one a Goldman Sachs banker and the other a Malaysian businessman/financier, embezzled billions from the fund – the former helping […]

The U.S. Supreme Court recently indicated that it will be taking an even more pro-business stance regarding arbitration. The Court heard arguments in two cases involving company agreements to determine whether these disputes must be handled through an arbitrator rather than a judge. The first case, Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc., […]