When a company buys another with past, but unsettled, bribery and corruption problems, does the liability flow through to the purchaser? Is there any way to limit the exposure?

The ongoing news about a possible GE merger or purchase of all or certain businesses of the French power and engineering company Alstom SA has raised such questions about an acquiring company’s potential liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Thomas Fox has practiced law for over 40 years. Tom writes the daily award-winning blog, the FCPA Compliance and Ethics blog and founded the Compliance Podcast Network. Tom leads the discussion on AI in...