On June 11, 2025, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate issued a memorandum to all U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division employees outlining enforcement priorities under directives from President Trump and Attorney General Bondi. The Memorandum signals a shift in federal enforcement focus to issues such as discrimination, gender transition care, and immigration, and identifies the False Claims Act as a tool to achieve certain of the Administration’s goals.  

On June 23, 2025, the first-ever prosecution for bad-faith use of 10b5-1 trading plans resulted in Terren Scott Peizer, the former CEO and executive chairman of the publicly traded company Ontrak, Inc., being sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay $17.9 million in fines and restitution. A California federal district court found that Peizer had entered into Rule 10b5-1 plans in bad faith and while in possession of material nonpublic information to avoid more than $12.5 million in losses related to the termination of a large customer contract.

This post highlights key aspects of the Japan Freelance Act and compares them with relevant legal frameworks in the United States—particularly in California and New York—as well as in Europe with an aim to help businesses operating globally understand the important legal considerations when working with freelance workers across jurisdictions.