Important Announcement
We are pleased to share that as of August 1, 2025, Braeden Anderson, the founder of Anderson P.C., has joined Gesmer Updegrove LLP as a Partner. Work currently performed by Anderson P.C. will be transitioning to Gesmer. This website will remain active as a curated archive for legal insights.
Gesmer Updegrove LLP, founded in 1986, is a nationally recognized law firm with a premier reputation for representing high-growth companies, innovative technology pioneers, and venture-backed startups. Together, we are enhancing our ability to provide comprehensive, end-to-end legal support to entrepreneurs, founders, investors, and scaling businesses across every stage of the corporate lifecycle. From formation, fundraising, and IP strategy to tax planning, M&A, securities compliance, enforcement defense, and strategic exits, our combined strengths now span the full spectrum of business law.
Thank you for following and supporting us on this journey. To learn more or to connect with Braeden or a member of the Gesmer team, please visit: www.gesmer.com or e-mail him at braeden.anderson@gesmer.com
Post-Liberation Day “Secondary Tariffs”
On April 2, 2025, the Trump administration declared a new “Liberation Day”—a sweeping trade policy shift marked by aggressive new tariffs that reverberate far beyond traditional bilateral trade disputes. Under Executive Order 14245, the United States now claims the authority to impose a 25% tariff on all goods from any country that imports Venezuelan oil, whether directly or through intermediaries. This is not merely a sanctions expansion. It is a geopolitical reshaping of trade policy through discretionary economic punishment for third-party relationships—a dramatic shift from prior norms of trade enforcement.
Markets React to Fake News on Tariffs: A Cautionary Tale for Traders
On April 8, 2025, U.S. financial markets experienced a whiplash moment after an unverified social media report falsely claimed the Trump administration was preparing a 90-day suspension of tariffs. The news—initially published by pseudonymous Twitter personality “Walter Bloomberg” and subsequently picked up by credible outlets including CNBC and Reuters—set off an immediate and massive rally in equity markets. The rally added trillions of dollars in paper value in a matter of minutes.