SEC Rule 10b5-1 plans have long provided an effective means for corporate insiders to buy and sell their own company’s securities without fear of civil or criminal insider trading liability, but these plans have come under...more
6/25/2021
/ Administrative Orders ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EDGAR ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Good Faith ,
Insider Trading ,
Internal Controls ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Trading Plans ,
Transparency
The global COVID-19 pandemic, severe weather events, and the social unrest unleashed in the United States over the past year have amplified the role of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) as a driving factor in...more
On October 15, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a settled administrative order charging Andeavor LLC with failing to devise and maintain adequate internal controls surrounding its buyback of company stock...more
12/17/2020
/ Accounting Controls ,
Administrative Orders ,
Buyback Programs ,
Cease and Desist Orders ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Stocks
On June 22, 2020, in Liu v. SEC, the Supreme Court held in an 8-1 decision that the SEC is authorized under 15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5) (2015) to seek disgorgement as “equitable relief” in district court actions, as long as the...more
7/13/2020
/ 15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5) ,
Administrative Authority ,
Business Expenses ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equitable Relief ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Lack of Authority ,
Liu v Securities and Exchange Commission ,
Net Profits ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission wrapped up its fiscal year on September 30, 2019 with a flurry of enforcement actions filed in the final weeks of the month. These cases will provide fodder for analysis...more
10/11/2019
/ Accounting Controls ,
CEOs ,
Corporate Structures ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Compensation ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Reporting ,
GAAP ,
Misleading Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement Agreements
In June 2017, the Supreme Court held in Kokesh v. SEC that SEC disgorgement is a penalty, rather than an equitable remedy, and thus subject to the five-year statute of limitations codified in 28 U.S.C. § 2462. More than two...more
9/17/2019
/ Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Indemnification ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Statute of Limitations
On March 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Lorenzo v. SEC,[i] affirming the expansive view of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) that, under the right circumstances,...more
4/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Corporate Officers ,
Directors ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Statements ,
Fines ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Investment Banks ,
Janus Capital Group Inc v First Derivative Traders ,
Lorenzo v SEC ,
Material Dissemination ,
Misleading Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Scienter ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Violations ,
Suspensions
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Kokesh v. SEC, which defined disgorgement as a penalty subject to the five-year statute of limitations, we observed that the decision was likely to have far-reaching...more
In recent years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”) has prioritized, in its examinations, the review of the fee billing and expense practices of investment advisers....more