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.

Following a series of executive orders issued by the Trump administration targeting DEI initiatives, many companies have made significant changes to their proxy statements this season. Disclosures relating to racial and gender diversity were once considered essential, and while proxy advisory firms continue to consider such disclosures when making voting recommendations, now many companies are skirting around the topic or eliminating any mention of diversity altogether.