A Friend in Need May Get You in Trouble for Insider Trading Indeed An Argument for the Meaningfully Close Personal Relationship Definition of Friendship Under the Gift Theory

This Note posits that the Second Circuit's new definition of friendship for insider trading cases, as set forth in United States v. Martoma, is incorrect. Rather, United States v. Newman’s close standard is the correct definition of friendship. The paper is divided into two parts. Part I addresses the antecedent issue of whether Salman v. United States rejected the close standard, concluding that Salman neither expressly nor impliedly rejected the close standard. Part II establishes that prior cases and the underlying policy rationale of the prohibition against insider trading compel the conclusion that the close standard is the proper definition of friendship under the gift theory.