Category Archives: Complaints Against Executives

Paxton and Succession – What if you are the coup target? 

Though politics, in the more formal political party sense of the word, had a leading role in the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, there were definite similarities between that attempted takeover and what happens in the hit … Continue reading

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CEO Leadership in the Eye of the Storm

Hurricane Ian was bearing down on southwest Florida when Postcard Mania CEO Joy Gendusa hopped on a video call with her employees from her SUV as she was headed out of town.   The storm would be “a nothing burger,” … Continue reading

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Can CEO’s learn something from Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’s problems with the NFL?

Earlier this week, multibillionaire and longtime Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was found to have violated the league’s tampering rules in a scheme described as “unprecedented in scope and severity” by commissioner Roger Goodell. It’s hard for someone like me … Continue reading

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Despite Two Closely Watched Trial Losses, DOJ Pressing on with Controversial Criminal No-Poaching, Price-Fixing Antitrust Enforcement

Is the DOJ going too far by aggressively pursuing criminal no-poach and price-fixing charges as per se violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act? In two recent trials testing these enforcement theories for the first time, jurors thought the government’s cases … Continue reading

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There’s More to Learn from Jeopardy! than Trivia

Q: This household-name company allowed an insider to lead a high-profile executive search only to end up hiring himself for the job. It then failed to perform basic vetting that might have uncovered the new guy’s embarrassing history of insensitive … Continue reading

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When it Comes to Lawyers and Allegiances, Execs Should Look Out for No. 1

Embattled former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes learned an inconvenient truth when it comes to allegiances between outside law firms, their corporate clients and individuals on the executive team. In pretrial wrangling before the August 31 start of her federal criminal … Continue reading

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As Gov. Cuomo Keeps Grip on Power, His Baggage Would be a C-Suites Career-Ender

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is hanging on as accusations of sexual harassment, inappropriate relationships and workplace hostilities pile up. The revelations are coming so fast that they’re hard to keep straight. Multiple women, including current and former aides, have … Continue reading

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Executives Cash in as Companies March Toward Bankruptcy 

Neiman Marcus is the latest company to raise eyebrows with a generous performance- and retention-based compensation plan for a group of executives at a time when the company itself is fighting for survival.    In July, investors, furloughed employees and bankruptcy trustee Henry Hobbs howled at the prospect of a $10 million compensation package for the high-end retailer’s CEO and a … Continue reading

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Unexpected Consequences from the Pandemic Shutdown – A Spike in Whistleblower Complaints

There’s a curious byproduct from the COVID-19 economic crisis and business shutdown – a sharp increase in SEC whistleblower complaints and lawsuits filed by workers against employers. From mid-March to mid-May, the SEC reported approximately 4,000 whistleblower complaints, a 35 … Continue reading

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Harassment Skeletons in McDonald’s Closet Hasten CEO Steve Easterbrook Downfall 

Even by today’s standards of board oversight in the #MeToo era, the speed of McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook’s fall was breathtaking. In just four short years at the helm, Easterbrook was credited with nearly doubling the company’s share price and … Continue reading

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