Category: Case Briefs
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Former Coinbase Manager insider trading scheme
Brief Summary of the Case (IRAC Pattern) Issue: The central issue is whether the former Coinbase manager engaged in insider trading by using confidential information about upcoming announcements of new cryptocurrency listings on the Coinbase exchange to profit from trades made before the information was publicly available. Rule: Insider trading is prohibited under U.S. securities…
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BlockFi Lending LLC $100 million penalty
Case Summary: BlockFi Lending LLC $100 Million Penalty Issue: Did BlockFi Lending LLC engage in the sale of unregistered securities through its interest accounts, violating securities laws and consequently meriting a $100 million penalty? Rule: The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940 require that offerings of securities to the…
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BitMEX Employees Money Laundering
IRAC Summary Issue: Whether the employees of BitMEX engaged in money laundering activities in violation of relevant legal and regulatory frameworks. Rule: The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) requires financial institutions, which include certain types of cryptocurrency exchanges, to assist government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering. This includes implementing an effective anti-money laundering (AML)…
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Bitfinex Hack and Laundering
IRAC Summary Issue: Whether the individuals involved in the Bitfinex Hack and subsequent laundering activities are liable under criminal laws pertaining to computer hacking, theft of digital assets, and money laundering. Rule: The applicable legal rules and regulations would include statutes related to computer fraud and abuse, theft, receiving stolen property, and money laundering. These…
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Celsius Network Bankruptcy
Brief Summary of the Case (IRAC Pattern) Issue: Whether Celsius Network LLC has the legal grounds to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection given its operational model as a cryptocurrency lending and borrowing platform, and how the bankruptcy laws apply to digital assets held on behalf of its customers. Rule: The United States Bankruptcy Code,…
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Ripple Securities Lawsuit
Brief Summary of the Case: IRAC Pattern Issue: The primary issue in the case is whether Ripple’s sale of XRP tokens constituted an offer or sale of securities, which would require registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under U.S. securities laws. Rule: The legal rule at the center of this case is the…
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LBRY SEC Case
Brief Summary of the Case (IRAC pattern): Issue: The primary issue in the case is whether the sale of LBRY Credits (LBC) by LBRY, Inc. constitutes the offering of unregistered securities in violation of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933. Rule: Under the Securities Act of 1933, an investment contract—and thus…
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Solana Unregistered Sale of Securities
IRAC Summary Issue: Whether Solana’s distribution of SOL tokens constituted an unregistered sale of securities in violation of federal securities laws. Rule: Under the Securities Act of 1933, any offer or sale of securities must be registered with the SEC or meet an exemption. The Supreme Court in SEC v. W.J. Howey Co. established the…
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Three Arrows Capital Implosion
IRAC Summary: Issue: The primary legal issue in the Three Arrows Capital (3AC) implosion case is whether the company and its principals engaged in fraud, misrepresentation, or breached their fiduciary duties to investors, creditors, and other stakeholders by engaging in high-risk investments without proper disclosure, and whether these actions led to the company’s eventual insolvency.…
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Gonzalez v. Google LLC & Twitter
Case Name: Gonzalez v. Google LLC & Twitter IRAC Summary: Issue: Whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) provides immunity to social media platforms like Google and Twitter from liability for content posted by third-party users, even when the platforms’ algorithms recommend or promote that content. Rule: Section 230 of the CDA generally…
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Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith (2023)
IRAC Summary: Issue: Whether the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.’s use of a photograph taken by Lynn Goldsmith to create new artworks constituted a transformative fair use that does not infringe on Goldsmith’s copyright. Rule: The fair use doctrine, codified in 17 U.S.C. § 107, provides a legal framework that allows for…
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Sackett v. EPA (2023)
Case Brief: Sackett v. EPA (2023) Issue: Whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) determination that a landowner has violated the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants without a permit into navigable waters is immediately judicially reviewable under the Administrative Procedure Act, and whether the EPA’s decision not to make a formal jurisdictional determination about whether…
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Merrill v. Milligan (2023)
IRAC Summary: Issue: The central issue in Merrill v. Milligan was whether Alabama’s congressional redistricting plan, which included only one majority-minority district out of seven, violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black voters. Rule: Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits voting practices or procedures that…
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Jack Daniel’s Properties v. VIP Products LLC (2023)
IRAC Summary: Issue: Whether VIP Products LLC’s use of the Jack Daniel’s trademarks and trade dress for humorous dog toys constitutes trademark infringement and dilution under the Lanham Act. Rule: The Lanham Act prohibits the use of any word, term, name, symbol, or device that is likely to cause confusion as to the affiliation, connection,…
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Arizona v. Navajo Nation (2023)
Case Summary (IRAC Pattern): Issue: Whether the State of Arizona’s regulations on water usage infringe upon the rights of the Navajo Nation to access and utilize water from the Colorado River as established by prior treaties, agreements, and federal law. Rule: The relevant rule consists of treaties between the Navajo Nation and the federal government,…
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United States v. Texas (2023)
Case: United States v. Texas (2023) IRAC SUMMARY: Issue: The issue in this case is whether the State of Texas has enacted legislation that conflicts with federal immigration law and policy, thereby violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Rule: Under the Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution), federal law…
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Moore v. Harper (2023)
IRAC Summary of Moore v. Harper Issue: The central issue in Moore v. Harper was whether the “independent state legislature theory” under Article I and Article II of the U.S. Constitution allows a state legislature to redistrict federal congressional districts independently of any constraints imposed by the state constitution and judicial review by state courts.…
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Counterman v. Colorado (2023)
As Counterman v. Colorado (2023) is a hypothetical case, I will create a fictional outline for it based on a general understanding of how legal case outlines are typically structured. IRAC Summary Issue: Whether the State of Colorado’s statute prohibiting the cultivation of genetically modified crops infringes on Counterman’s constitutional rights. Rule: The rule in…
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Groff v. DeJoy (2023)
IRAC Summary of Groff v. DeJoy (2023) Issue: Whether the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) refusal to accommodate an employee’s request not to work on Sundays due to his religious beliefs constitutes religious discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Rule: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits…
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Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College & University of North Carolina (2023)
Brief Summary of the Case using IRAC Issue: The central issue in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College & University of North Carolina (2023) is whether the universities’ affirmative action policies, which consider race as a factor in their admissions processes, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or Title VI of…