Articles by Bob Van Voris

Ex-Oppenheimer Exec Gets Jail Time for Role in Oklahoma Insurer Fraud

A former Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. executive was sentenced to almost two years in prison for his role in a fraud that prosecutors say led to the collapse of an Oklahoma insurance company. Allen Reichman, 54, and three others scammed …

Ex-N.Y. Senate Leader Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption Charges

Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos pleaded not guilty to charges that he exploited his position to enrich his son Adam. The two men were arrested early last month on corruption charges, and federal prosecutors last week …

Tobacco Firms to Settle 400 Florida Smokers’ Lawsuits for $100M

The three biggest U.S. tobacco companies agreed to pay $100 million to settle 400 Florida lawsuits, potentially resolving a group of cases filed after a 2006 ruling by the state’s highest court that made it easier for individuals to sue …

New York AG Says AIG’s Lawsuit Is Bid to Hobble Unlicensed Sales Probe

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asked a judge to dismiss American International Group Inc.’s lawsuit against the state’s top financial regulator, saying the insurer is trying to interfere with a probe of unlicensed overseas insurance sales. “The investigation of …

Ex-Executive’s Lawsuit Alleges AIG Defrauded U.S. in Bailout

American International Group Inc. defrauded the U.S. by failing to disclose it was selling insurance without a license during negotiations with the government over a bailout in the financial crisis, a former executive claimed in a lawsuit. Alex Grabcheski, a …

N.Y. Regulator Lawsky Sued by AIG Over Probe Into Unlicensed Insurance

American International Group Inc. sued to block New York’s top financial regulator, Benjamin Lawsky, from fining it over marketing insurance overseas without a state license, claiming it would be unconstitutional. AIG, criticizing what it called a “flawed and unconstitutional” interpretation …

Malaysia Jet’s Mystery Disappearance Leaves Liability Riddles

As the final hours of Malaysian Air Flight MH370 remain wrapped in mystery, the question of who bears full liability for the jet’s disappearance is also unresolved. This much is clear: Families of the 227 passengers aboard the flight that …

Top Executives of Failed Dewey Law Firm Facing Fraud Charges

Three former executives at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, once the No. 3 legal adviser to banks handling merger deals, were charged with a “blatant” $200 million fraud that spurred the largest law firm bankruptcy in history. The three, including the …

Judge Allows Investors’ Class Action Against Facebook, Underwriters Over IPO

Facebook Inc. and the underwriters of its May 2012 initial public offering must face a class-action lawsuit by investors claiming the company misled them about its financial condition, a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan rejected arguments …

Florida Tobacco Ruling Applies in Federal Cases, Court Says

Reynolds American Inc.’s R.J. Reynolds Tobacco unit lost its bid to overturn jury verdicts over smoking-related deaths after arguing that federal courts shouldn’t apply a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court that made it easier for smokers to prove their …