On December 31, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas vacated a $2 million penalty issued to Exxon by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for alleged violations of OFAC’s Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations (URSR). This ruling has been… Read more
We ask you to remember our dear Partner, Morris Davis. Our hearts are heavy as we learned that Morris passed away Sunday afternoon, December 29, 2019. Morris was a dynamic and successful attorney with our firm for 39 years, including seven years at the helm as Managing Partner. From 2006-2012,… Read more
On December 19, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released its final regulations governing Opportunity Zones (the “Final Regulations”). This alert assumes the reader has some familiarity with the existing Opportunity Zone rules and summarizes some of the important guidance contained in the Final Regulations. Demise of the Sell-In… Read more
On December 26, 2019, the Department of State published an interim final rule amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to include a new definition of “Activities that are not exports, reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports.” By combining new text with existing regulations, the updated definition seeks… Read more
The McGinnis Lochridge International Trade & Transactions Newsletter keeps clients informed about updates on international trade and transactions matters across the country and around the world. Our third issue discusses updates to and completion of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, partial China Trade Deal, Apple Settlement with OFAC over sanction violations, and… Read more
On December 17, the U.S. Senate approved legislation placing sanctions on foreign individuals and entities involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the TurkStream pipeline, projects run by Russian-based Gazprom and intended to route natural gas from Russia to Europe. These sanctions have bipartisan support in… Read more
On December 13, President Trump announced that the Section 301 tariffs scheduled to go into effect on December 15 were suspended as a result of a new “Phase One” trade deal with China. The United States Trade Representative’s office released an accompanying Fact Sheet, stating that the new… Read more
On December 10, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against 18 individuals and three entities under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets alleged perpetrators of serious human rights abuses and corruption. The newly listed individuals and entities are from Slovakia, Burma, Libya, Democratic Republic of… Read more
On December 10, the Trump administration announced substantial updates to and completion of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), following months of meeting with House Democrats and working towards a finalized text to present to Congress. House Democrats have lauded the new USMCA, viewing it as the modern standard for… Read more
On November 25, Apple agreed to pay OFAC approximately $470,000 to settle its potential civil liability in relation to alleged violations of dealings with parties on the SDN List. Between 2015 and 2017, Apple dealt in the property and interests in property of SIS d.o.o. (SIS), a Slovenian… Read more
On November 20, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a number of changes to its FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy, seeking to clarify what information companies are required to provide when submitting voluntary self-disclosures and offering additional guidance on how companies may qualify for “declination.” Specific changes to… Read more
On Wednesday evening November 6th, McGinnis Lochridge Partner Clarke Heidrick will be honored by the Boy Scouts of America Capitol Area Council for his inspiring decades long commitment to community service in Austin. The 2019 Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner will be held at the Hilton Austin Hotel. During… Read more