Commercial Law Commons^™

Nestlé V. Doe: A Death Knell To Corporate Human Rights Accountability?, Phillip Ayers

Seattle University Law Review

The Supreme Court in Nestlé v. Doe held that foreign plaintiffs who claimed to be victims of overseas tortious conduct by corporate defendants had no jurisdiction to sue in federal courts using the Alien Tort Statute. This Comment looks at the history of the Alien Tort Statute, from its inspiration, long dormancy, and recent reinvigoration beginning in the 1980s. The Comment then explores the background of Nestlé and its issues with child slavery in its cocoa supply chain. From there, the Comment analyzes the Nestlé v. Doe decision, and posits an alternative outcome. Finally, this Comment looks for a new …

Corporate Governance And Gender Equality: A Study Of Comply-Or-Explain Disclosure Regulation, Aaron A. Dhir, Sarah Kaplan, Maria Arabella Robles

Seattle University Law Review

In 2020, the Nasdaq Stock Market filed a proposal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seeking permission to adopt a board diversity-related disclosure requirement for its listed companies. In 2021, the SEC approved the proposal, thus entrenching Nasdaq’s position as the most significant stock exchange to date to mandate listing rules that reflect the intention of diversifying corporate boardrooms. Nasdaq’s movement into the diversity space is not the first attempt to address homogeneous boards in the U.S. In 2009, the SEC adopted a rule requiring publicly traded firms to report on whether they consider diversity in identifying director nominees. …

Judicial Ethics And The Eradication Of Racism, Dontay Proctor-Mills

Seattle University Law Review

In 2020, the Washington Supreme Court entrusted the legal community with working to eradicate racism from its legal system. Soon after, Washington’s Commission on Judicial Conduct (hereinafter the Commission) received a complaint about a bus ad for North Seattle College featuring King County Superior Court Judge David Keenan. Along with a photo of Judge Keenan’s face, the ad included the following language: “A Superior Court Judge, David Keenan got into law in part to advocate for marginalized communities. David’s changing the world. He started at North.” The Commission admonished Judge Keenan for violating the Code of Judicial Conduct, in part …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

Why Corporate Boards Should Include Lgbtq+ People, Jeremy Mcclane, Darren Rosenblum

Seattle University Law Review

Corporate boardrooms sit at the heart of most of society’s most consequential decisions but fall far short of the diversity of our society. The current movement toward board diversification aims to remedy the underrepresentation of marginalized groups on corporate boards. More recently, some efforts have included LGBTQ+ people, even though the basis for their inclusion on corporate boards remains largely unstated. This Article examines both the normative and instrumental bases for LGBTQ+ inclusion in board diversity initiatives, articulating unspoken assumptions and linking LGBTQ+ people to the broader inclusion effort. In so doing, it begins to surface the unique issues LGBTQ+ …

Investment Bankers And Inclusive Corporate Leadership, Afra Afsharipour

Seattle University Law Review

Few major deals happen without the engagement and advice of investment bankers. Whether a company is undertaking an initial public offering or engaging in a large merger or acquisition deal, investment bankers play a central role in advising corporate executives. Successful investment bankers are devoted to cultivating relationships with executives. And these relationships place bankers in a position to earn tens of millions in fees for their advisory and service roles in connection with corporate dealmaking. Investment bankers’ constant endeavors to nurture relationships with executives, while also maximizing their own ability to enhance fees, commonly leads to allegations of double-dealing, …

Selective Patronage, Omari Scott Simmons

Seattle University Law Review

Contemporary academic corporate governance narratives have a blind spot. They focus on institutions, rules, regulations, processes, procedures, intermediaries, and market forces. Yet, missing in this narrative, is the impact of corporate leadership. Ignoring the “black box” of corporate leadership, particularly individual actors, renders an incomplete descriptive assessment as well as potential miscalculations. The examination of key historical figures and their corporate activism provides an important lens through which to identify potential challenges and opportunities related to the contemporary ESG movement.

Generally, this essay examines corporate leadership’s potential to address socio-political issues through the prism of Civil Rights Movement activism. Specifically, …

Reframing The Dei Case, Veronica Root Martinez

Seattle University Law Review

Corporate firms have long expressed their support for the idea that their organizations should become more demographically diverse while creating a culture that is inclusive of all members of the firm. These firms have traditionally, however, not been successful at improving demographic diversity and true inclusion within the upper echelons of their organizations. The status quo seemed unlikely to move, but expectations for corporate firms were upended after the #MeToo Movement of 2017 and 2018, which was followed by corporate support of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement in 2020. These two social movements, while distinct in many ways, forced firms to rethink …

Women In Shareholder Activism, Sarah C. Haan

Seattle University Law Review

Even a cursory review of the history of American environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) shareholder activism reveals the presence of women leaders. This Article sketches some of this history and interrogates the role of women in the shareholder activism movement. That movement typically has involved claims by minority shareholders to corporate power; activists are nearly always on the margins of power, though minority shareholders may, collectively, represent a majority interest. This Article ascribes women’s leadership in shareholder activism to their longstanding position as outsiders to corporate organization. Women’s participation in shaping corporate policy—even from the margins—has provided women with …

#Metoo And The Corporation In Popular Culture, Brenda Cossman

Seattle University Law Review

#MeToo’s initial virtual explosion in the fall of 2017 was very much about Hollywood, with famous actresses speaking out against famous producers, media moguls and celebrities, exposing the ubiquity of sexual harassment and sexual violence in and around the entertainment industry. Since then, #MeToo has made its way into Hollywood representations without much irony. Films and television shows have explicitly taken up the #MeToo themes, exploring issues of sexual harassment and violence and its afterlives. Many television shows, from the relaunched version of Murphy Brown to Brooklyn Nine-Nine to The Good Fight have incorporated #MeToo themes into episodes exploring the …

Woke Capital Revisited, Jennifer S. Fan

Seattle University Law Review

Inclusive corporate leadership is now at the forefront of discussions related to corporate governance. Two corporate theories help to explain the rise in prominence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) efforts in corporate leadership. First, an expanded definition of corporate purpose which elevated the idea of the importance of stakeholders, contributed to the momentum from business and legal quarters for broader corporate inclusion. Second, the increasing publicness of corporations—the social expectation of how large, typically public corporations should act given their position of power—also led to corporations becoming more active in the DEI space. It is against this backdrop that …

Army Commander’S Role—The Judge, Jury, & Prosecutor For The Article 15, Anthony Godwin

Seattle University Law Review

Service members in the armed forces are bound by a different set of rules when compared to other U.S. citizens. Some of the normal safeguards and protections that civilians enjoy are much more restrictive for military service members, and this is generally for a good reason. Such restrictions are partly due to the complex demands and needs of the United States military. Congress and the President have entrusted military commanders with special powers that enable them to handle minor violations of law without needing to go through a full judicial proceeding. Non-judicial punishments (NJP), also known as Article 15s, are …

A Synthesis Of The Science And Law Relating To Eyewitness Misidentifications And Recommendations For How Police And Courts Can Reduce Wrongful Convictions Based On Them, Henry F. Fradella

Seattle University Law Review

The empirical literature on perception and memory consistently demonstrates the pitfalls of eyewitness identifications. Exoneration data lend external validity to these studies. With the goal of informing law enforcement officers, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, judges, and judicial law clerks about what they can do to reduce wrongful convictions based on misidentifications, this Article presents a synthesis of the scientific knowledge relevant to how perception and memory affect the (un)reliability of eyewitness identifications. The Article situates that body of knowledge within the context of leading case law. The Article then summarizes the most current recommendations for how law enforcement personnel should—and …

Among Us: Impostor Syndrome And Barriers To Black Success, Deshayla M. Strachan

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

Black women are going places-but they're not going into the practice of law. While law schools are becoming more diverse, the legal profession is not. The lack of diversity in the legal profession, coupled with existing implicit bias, causes heightened Impostor Syndrome in women, especially Black women, as well as women from other underrepresented groups. The harder the impostor feelings hit, the more difficult it is to retain women of color in the legal profession. Emotions associated with Impostor Syndrome (e.g., feelings of insufficiency) begin upon entry into the legal profession, as many roadblocks prevent marginalized groups from gaining admission …

In Re Weinstein Company Holdings Llc: An Overly Systematic Approach To Executory Contracts Limits Much-Needed Flexibility, Thomas Hauk, Andrew Schwartz

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 And Cancelled 2020 College Football Games Contracts: Force Majeure?, Drew Thornley

St. Mary's Law Journal

After COVID-19, majeure clauses accounting for the possibility of a pandemic will become the norm in college football game contracts. Indeed, some contracts are already including pandemics in their lists of force majeure-triggering events. Such language has already been added to collegiate game contracts. For example, a contract signed in May 2020 for the 2025 football game between Wisconsin and Miami (Ohio) lists as force majeure-triggering events “regional or global epidemics, pandemics, quarantines, and other similar health threats (e.g.[,] coronavirus, influenza, etc.).” Scholars explain that “the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic warranted immediate revisitation of college football contracts.”

However, …

The Private Law Of Stablecoins, Kara J. Bruce, Christopher K. Odinet, Andrea Tosato

Faculty Scholarship

Stablecoins are one of the cornerstones of the crypto world. They’ve attracted significant attention over the past few years, ranging from Wall Street to kitchen table investors, and even the White House. As a less volatile alternative to crypto-assets like bitcoin, stablecoins have the potential to change the way we make payments, unlock the groundwork needed for more blockchain-based applications, and even reorient the economy toward private money. But how stable are these stablecoins, really? Can they be relied upon in the way their many proponents claim? And how much of the popular beliefs about stablecoins match their realities? That’s …

Commercial Law Harmonization: The Past As Prologue—A “Festschrift” In Honor Of Neil B. Cohen, Edward J. Janger

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

Reviving The Realist Restatements And The Common Law Codes: Neil Cohen And The Grand Style, Edward J. Janger

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

The “Second” Restatements and the Uniform Commercial Code have shaped the sensibility of lawyers and law students for the last half century. Both projects were anti-formal at their core, articulating pragmatic principles to guide judicial decision making without necessarily determining the outcome. Recent jurisprudence interpreting the Restatements, as well as efforts to update both sets of instruments, have taken a formalist turn. As examples, this essay will consider judicial interpretations of § 402A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts where internet platforms like Amazon are involved. Then it will consider the tortured and recently concluded experience in connection with the …

Formulating Lists Of Factors: Lessons From The Good, The Bad, And The U.C.C., Stephen L. Sepinuck

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

Failed Efforts At Harmonization Of Securities Regulation, Roberta S. Karmel

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

This Article is based on a speech made by Professor Karmel at the Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial, & Commercial Law annual symposium in May 2022 titled “Commercial Law Harmonization: Past as Prologue,” analyzing the work done in the past half-century to balance commercial law. The symposium also celebrated the career of Neil B. Cohen of Brooklyn Law School for his teaching and participation in law reform efforts.

Flow Of Commerce, Flow Of Traffic, Carl S. Bjerre

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

The Development Of The American “Security Interest” And Its Effect On The International Harmonization Of Security Rights, Henry Gabriel

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

Novation And Advance Consent, Kwan Ho Lau

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Professor Goode once observed that “Novation need not be left to ad hoc agreement; it is open to the parties to provide for it in advance and in particular to establish a contractual mechanism by which novation takes place automatically on the occurrence of a designated act or event”. This deceptively straightforward proposition is examined in the present article. It explores the legal footing for, and the risks in adopting a pristine version of, the proposition, and considers possible safeguards that may be incorporated within the process of scrutiny, if in any case there arises concern over the effectiveness of …

Amicus Curiae Brief Of The Hon. Judith Fitzgerald (Bankruptcy Judge, Ret.), And Law Professors Pamela Foohey, George Kuney, Robert Lawless, Jonathan Lipson, Bruce A. Markell, Nancy Rapoport, Richard Squire, Ray Warner And Jack Williams, In Support Of The Petitioner, Pamela Foohey

Amicus Briefs

Your amici have taught courses on bankruptcy and commercial law, conducted research, and have been frequent speakers and lecturers at seminars and conferences throughout the United States. Each is highly regarded in this field, and each has made substantial contributions to bankruptcy scholarship and jurisprudence.

The question presented to this Court is as follows: “Whether Bankruptcy Code Section 363(m) limits the appellate court’s jurisdiction over any sale order or order deemed integral to a sale order. . . .” (emphasis added). Pet. i. The answer is that § 363(m) does not limit appellate review of the transaction involved in this …

Mass Arbitration 2.0, Andrew B. Nissensohn

Washington and Lee Law Review

Over the past four decades, corporate interests, in concert with the Supreme Court, have surgically dismantled the American civil litigation system. Enacted nearly a century ago, the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) was once a procedural law mandating that federal courts enforce arbitration agreements between sophisticated parties with equal bargaining power. Through death by a thousand cuts, corporate interests shielded themselves from nearly all methods of en masse dispute resolution. These interests weaponized the FAA into a “one size fits all” means to compel potential litigants with unequal bargaining power into arbitration. The so-called “Arbitration Revolution” is the subject of much …

Pertanggungjawaban Notaris Yang Menyuruh Memasukkan Keterangan Palsu Ke Dalam Akta Autentik (Studi Kasus Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Semarang Nomor 83/Pid/2016/Pt Smg), Eka Putri Hardianti

Indonesian Notary

Penelitian ini membahas mengenai Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Semarang Nomor 83/Pid/2016.PT SMG untuk menganalisis pertanggungjawab Notaris Ny. ER, SH,CN yang melakukan tidak pidana pemalsuan akta autentik, Notaris tersebut menyuruh memasukkan keterangan palsu dikenakan Pasal 266 ayat (1) KUHP. Serta perlindungan hukum Notaris RA, SH. M.Kn untuk kepentingan proses peradilan, dimana Notaris tersebut melakukan kelalaian dalam pembuatan akta autentik sehingga Notaris dihadirkan sebagai saksi dalam proses peradilan. Permasalahan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu yang pertama adalah pertanggungjawaban Notaris Ny. ER.SH.CN yang menyuruh memasukkan keterangan palsu dan perlindungan hukum Notaris RA, S.H. M.Kn yang melakukan kelalaian dalam pembuatan akta autentik pada putusan pengadilan yang …

Akibat Hukum Pembuatan Akta Pernyataan Pemilikan Bersama Yang Dibuat Secara Sepihak Oleh Suami (Analisis Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Sidoarjo Nomor 191/Pdt.G/2019/Pn.Sda Juncto Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Surabaya Nomor 334/Pdt.G/2020/Pt.Sby), Fildzah Ghassani Hanun

Indonesian Notary

Penelitian ini membahas mengenai akibat hukum pembuatan akta pernyataan pemilikan bersama yang dibuat secara sepihak oleh suami. Pembuatan akta pernyataan pemilikan bersama dengan pihak lain atas harta bersama dalam perkawinan harus memperoleh persetujuan kedua belah pihak yaitu suami atau istri. Hal ini disebabkan menurut Pasal 36 ayat (1) Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 1974 tentang Perkawinan bahwa mengenai harta bersama, suami atau istri dapat bertindak atas persetujuan kedua belah pihak. Permasalahan yang diangkat dalam artikel ini adalah akibat hukum dari pembuatan akta pernyataan pemilikan bersama yang dibuat secara sepihak oleh suami. Permasalahan berikutnya adalah pertanggungjawaban Notaris atas pembuatan akta pernyataan pemilikan …

Pertanggungjawaban Pemegang Protokol Atas Pengeluaran Salinan Akta Perjanjian Berdasarkan Putusan Mahkamah Agung Nomor 1893k/Pdt/2018 Juncto Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Bukittinggi No 27/Pdt.G/2019/Pn Bkt, Putri Yollanda

Indonesian Notary

Penelitian ini membahas mengenai Pertanggungjawaban pemegang protokol atas pengeluaran salinan akta perjanjian berdasarkan Putusan Mahkamah Agung nomor 1893K/Pdt/2018 juncto Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Bukittinggi nomor 27/pdt.G/2019/PN Bkt. Pada dasarnya seorang notaris sebagai pejabat umum memiliki kewenangan untuk membuat akta autentik sesuai dengan bentuk dan tata cara yang ditentukan oleh undang-undang. Setiap akta yang dibuat oleh notaris wajib disimpan dalam protokol notaris, dan protokol tersebut wajib dialihkan dalam hal notaris cuti maupun meninggal dunia sesuai dengan ketentuan peraturan perundang-undangan. Namun yang menjadi permasalahan adalah ketika seorang notaris telah meninggal dunia dan protokolnya telah dialihkan kepada notaris lain, kemudian muncul sengketa yang berkaitan …

Analisis Pembatalan Persetujuan Suami Isteri Terhadap Pengikatan Jaminan Perseorangan Dalam Perjanjian Kredit, Arlene Agustina

Indonesian Notary

This research discusses about the cancellation of Spousal Consent on the binding of Personal Guarantees in credit agreements. In this case, the husband and wife married after year of 1974 without having a prenuptial agreement so that according to Articles 35 and 36 of Marriage Law No. 1 of 1974, the property acquired during marriage becomes joint property and regarding joint property, husband and wife can act based on the agreement between both sides, so that Spousal Consent is required when creating Personal Guarantee. The issues raised are the validity of the cancellation of Spousal Consent in the credit agreement; …