And Pacino will play him in the movie

Larry Ellison has settled the California suit alleging that he committed insider trading by selling his shares prior to a downturn in 2001.  Details here.  Ellison will pay $100 million to a charity of Oracle's choosing as well as $22 million to the plaintiffs' attorneys.  One of those attorneys opined that the settlement was "an extraordinary result and certainly one that is of great benefit to Oracle."  It is a little hard to see, however, how Oracle benefits from a charitable gift made by Ellison.  The gift may not even be tax-deductible for the corporation.  And who at Oracle gets to choose the charity?  I'm assuming it won't be Stanford.

This latest event is yet another in a string of fascinating corporate law developments relating to Ellison.  There's the great Chancellor Strine opinion about Oracle's special committee, as well as the fascinating issues that arose around the Oracle-PeopleSoft merger.  Ellison has also been good for business books, too, prompting a slew of unofficial biographies.  I'm still waiting for the movie.  And given this face, is there any doubt that Al should get the role?

You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire; you build egos the size of cathedrals; fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse; grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated fantasies, until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own God . . . and where can you go from there?