Debtors worldwide often attempt to shield their assets from collection by transferring them to Florida homesteads due to the broad and immediate protection against enforcement afforded by Florida’s constitution to homeowners.
A recent ruling by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in favor of a Kobre & Kim client marks an important step in addressing potential abuses of this protection.
As possibly the first ruling to acknowledge that creditors may be able to collect against Florida homesteads purchased with proceeds from frauds not committed against them, it sets a precedent that could enhance creditors’ ability to enforce claims against debtors attempting to shield assets through homestead protections.
Victims of large-scale and sophisticated fraud in Brazil may struggle to recover their assets by only using tools available in the domestic legal system.
However, a growing interest in fighting cross-border crime by U.S. authorities, together with the power of tools in the U.S., provide victims with a potentially better path to success.
Our cross-border team explains what strategies victims can deploy to achieve results.
When crypto and blockchain companies, funds or exchanges find themselves the target of a sophisticated, large-scale fraud or cyber attack, speed through global reach is key.
Companies often make impulsive decisions that imperil their recovery chances and business interests.
The pseudonymous and borderless nature of cryptocurrency means companies need to take a cross-border and nontraditional approach to maximize success.
Relations between India and the U.S. have recently experienced a few blows, including the termination of the former's preferential trading status with the U.S.
For future Indian defendants, it will be of paramount importance to understand the strategies and tactics of U.S. enforcement agencies in charge of bribery, national security and fraud investigations.
When regulators come knocking, those who choose to sit idly by will find themselves at a disadvantage.
One of the most common forms of fraud affecting businesses worldwide is Business Email Compromise (BEC).
Often based in Asia, BEC fraudsters are known to use a network of underground moneychangers to move stolen funds rapidly beyond the reach of victims.
When affected, victims need to match the speed of the criminals, acting across multiple jurisdictions and with the full set of legal tools necessary to trace, freeze and recover assets effectively.
Recent judgments have provided victims with a new route to claim damages from third parties, and thereby widen the pool from which to make a recovery.
Claimants in numerous common law jurisdictions now can bring two new types of claims against associates of fraudsters who have assisted in the dissipation of assets after a freezing order or judgment has been obtained.
Creditors seeking to make recoveries against fraudsters based in offshore jurisdictions should consider these two new, but related, claims against third parties when developing their asset recovery strategy.
