A federal court in Texas on Dec. 3 preliminarily enjoined the government from enforcing the Corporate Transparency Act's (CTA) beneficial ownership information reporting requirements, finding that the law violates various elements of the U.S. Constitution. Judge Amons Mazzant found that the CTA "intrudes upon States' rights under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments," compels speech and harms the right of association under the First Amendment and violates the Fourth Amendment by "compelling disclosure of private information."
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Dec. 6 upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which bans the social media application TikTok in the U.S. or forces its parent company, Chinese tech giant ByteDance, to divest its ownership share in the application in the U.S. Judges Douglas Ginsburg, Sri Srinivasan and Neomi Rao said the ban survived constitutional scrutiny (TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. v. Merrick Garland, D.D.C. # 24-1113).
The EU and four members of a trading bloc of South American nations referred to as Mercosur -- Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay -- concluded a partnership agreement, which will "boost strategic trade and political ties" between the nations, the European Commission announced. Bolivia just became a member of Mercosur on July 8.
Pete Jeydel, a former lawyer with Steptoe, has joined Troutman Pepper as a partner to lead the sanctions and trade controls practice, the firm announced. Jeydel's practice centers on export controls and sanctions and "related areas" such as the new outbound investment security program, the firm said.
A World Trade Organization dispute panel ruled on Dec. 5 that Panama's phytosanitary restrictions on strawberries, pineapples, bananas, plantains and dairy and meat products from Costa Rica violated WTO rules.
Jeremy Paner, a former sanctions investigator for the Office of Foreign Assets Control, has joined Hughes Hubbard as a partner in its sanctions, export controls and anti-money laundering practice, the firm announced. Paner worked at OFAC from 2007 to 2013 and was most recently with Squire Patton.
DOJ filed a civil forfeiture complaint Dec. 2 in the U.S. District Court for Southern District of New York, seeking the proceeds from the sale of a California music studio that are allegedly beneficially owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The complaint alleges that the proceeds, totaling $3.4 million, "are the proceeds of sanctions violations."
The U.K. sanctioned Northern Ireland resident Brian Sheridan under suspicions that he was providing financial assistance to members of the New Irish Republican Army, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The designation was made under the domestic counterterrorism sanctions regime. U.K. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq said the listing is the "first use of the Treasury-led domestic counter terrorism financial sanctions regime targeting Northern Ireland related terrorism."
The U.K. transitioned an EU countervailing duty on biodiesel from Indonesia to its own trade remedies authority on Nov. 28. The move maintains the CVD rates on shipments of fatty-acid mono-alkyl esters or paraffini gasoils obtained from synthesis or hydro-treatment and of non-fossil origin in pure or blended form. The duties range from 8% to 18%.
A dual U.S.-Russian citizen was arrested Dec. 2 for trying to export two small aircraft to Russia, said DOJ, which also seized the aircraft.