A New York judge on Friday threw out charges of grand larceny against two former top executives of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, but declined to nix fraud and conspiracy counts, setting the stage for a slimmed-down second trial over allegations they defrauded the law firm’s financial backers prior to its collapse. Law360: acquitted

The two ex-Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP executives facing charges left over from last year’s jury trial each defeated 15 more felony counts Friday, further diminishing the once-massive criminal fraud conspiracy case in the run-up to a much narrower trial — if there will be one at all. Law360: acquitted

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has reached a partial settlement with former Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP Finance Director Frank Canellas that resolves liability for securities fraud claims related to the firm’s collapse but leaves open the question of penalties, the SEC said Wednesday. Law360: acquitted

The former chief financial officer of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP on Friday blasted opposition from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to his fight to escape a second criminal trial over accusations of defrauding the defunct firm’s financial backers, criticizing prosecutors’ silence on crucial issues and efforts to portray the executive as a rich hothead. Law360: acquitted

The New York County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday shot back at efforts by former top executives at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP to avoid a second trial on charges of conning lenders and investors out of over $ 100 million when the law firm collapsed, saying to let the leaders off would disregard the law. Law360: acquitted

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is in settlement talks with former Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP Finance Director Frank Canellas, who pled guilty to fraud and served as the star witness in a trial of three former executives at the collapsed firm, the agency told a New York federal judge on Friday. Law360: acquitted

The remaining top executives of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP still facing charges over a purported scheme to defraud the BigLaw firm’s lenders and investors before it collapsed on Friday launched renewed bids to end the case, taking aim at cooperators’ testimony and saying the government has failed to prove any intent to commit a crime Law360: acquitted

The decision by a pair of former top executives at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP to press toward a new trial, in spite of plea offers on the table with little or no prison time, is a bold bet on avoiding the stigma and fallout of felony convictions against the threat of lengthy prison sentences. Law360: acquitted