News & Analysis as of

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Protection Policies Corporate Counsel

BCLP

SEC Again Cracks Down on Companies That Restrict Whistleblowers

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As discussed in our December 15, 2023 client alert, the SEC has waged an aggressive effort to enforce alleged violations of the whistleblower protection rule.  On September 9, 2024, the SEC announced settled charges resulting...more

Proskauer - Whistleblower Defense

SEC Announces Slew of Enforcement Actions Regarding Whistleblower Protection Rule

The SEC recently announced the settlement of multiple enforcement actions for violations of its whistleblower protection rule, which prohibits “any action to impede an individual from communicating directly with the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

DOJ Unveils Details of Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program

On August 1, 2024, the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, Nicole Argentieri, unveiled the highly anticipated details of DOJ’s Corporate Whistleblower...more

BakerHostetler

Employers Beware: Broad Confidentiality and Severance Clauses May Violate Whistleblower Protection Laws

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Employers should check their confidentiality and severance agreements for a common oversight that, for some, is becoming a costly error. Recent enforcement activity by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Rule...more

BCLP

Employment Agreements in The SEC’s Cross-Hairs: What Employers Should Do Now

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Over the past several months, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has concluded several aggressive enforcement actions related to supposed violations of Rule 21F-17 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,...more

Cooley LLP

SEC Announces FY23 Enforcement Results –Record-Breaking Whistleblower Awards, Focus on Individual Accountability, Self-Reporting,...

Cooley LLP on

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced its enforcement results for fiscal year 2023, which reported a total of 784 enforcement actions, up 3% from FY22. This includes 501 original (stand-alone)...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

SEC Fines Private Employer for Language in Employee Separation Agreements That Restricted Whistleblower Awards

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently settled charges alleging that a company’s employee separation agreements restricted former employees from receiving monetary awards for reporting securities law...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

SEC Increases Scrutiny of Whistleblower Protections

Ballard Spahr LLP on

Summary - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently announced settlements with a number of companies whose separation agreements or internal policies the SEC viewed as impeding employees’ participation in the...more

Goodwin

Employers Are Strongly Encouraged to Revisit Whistleblower Protection Language in Agreements and Policies in Light of Recent Legal...

Goodwin on

On Friday, September 29, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued an order that censured D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P., a registered investment advisor in New York, and assessed a civil penalty of $10,000,000...more

Seward & Kissel LLP

Employment Law Alert: Recent SEC Fines for Failure to Provide Whistleblower Protections

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Rule 21F-17 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Rule 21F-17”), adopted under Dodd-Frank, prohibits employers from “tak[ing] any action to impede an individual from communication directly with [SEC staff] about a possible...more

Wiley Rein LLP

Think Because You Are a Private Company the SEC Is Not Your Problem? Think Again (and review those separation agreements)

Wiley Rein LLP on

What: Twice this month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced settled actions against entities for violating SEC Rule 21F-17(a) related to language in their separation agreements, including one against a...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

SEC’s $279 million whistleblower award is largest-ever

On May 5, the SEC announced the Commission’s largest-ever award—nearly $279 million—awarded to a whistleblower for providing information and assistance leading to the successful enforcement of SEC and related actions. The SEC...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Top 5 SEC Enforcement Developments for February 2023

In order to provide an overview for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, we summarize below some of the most important SEC enforcement developments from the past month, with links to primary resources....more

A&O Shearman

Recent SEC enforcement relating to workplace misconduct

A&O Shearman on

Only a few months into the new year and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has begun to wade into new waters with enforcement efforts focused on disclosure issues without traditional links to securities...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

The SEC Reminds Companies Not to Forget the ‘S’ in ESG: Activision Blizzard Reaches $35 Million Settlement Over Disclosure...

Key Points - On February 3, 2023, Activision Blizzard settled charges with the SEC, agreeing to pay $35 million to resolve novel claims that the company failed to maintain adequate disclosure controls to track workplace...more

Troutman Pepper

SEC "Levels Up" in $35M Resolution of Alleged Whistleblower Protection Violations and Compliance Program Failures Against...

Troutman Pepper on

On February 3, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that video game developer Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) agreed to pay $35 million to settle accusations that it violated whistleblower...more

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP

Takeaways from the SEC Whistleblower Office’s Annual Report

Each year the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of the Whistleblower releases an Annual Report to Congress detailing the activities of the highly successful SEC Whistleblower Program. The annual report for...more

A&O Shearman

Second Circuit Overturns $1 Million Whistleblower Award For Improper Jury Instruction

A&O Shearman on

On August 5, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned a judgment of approximately $1 million awarded to a purported whistleblower after a jury determined in 2017 that the financial...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Top 5 SEC Enforcement Developments for June 2022

In order to provide an overview for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, we summarize below some of the most important SEC enforcement developments from the past month, with links to primary sources....more

Stinson - Corporate & Securities Law Blog

SEC Fires Another Warning Shot on Confidentiality Agreements that Violate Whistleblower Provisions

The SEC brought an enforcement action against The Brink’s Company for using confidentiality agreements that the SEC alleged violated Exchange Act Rule 21F-17. That rule prohibits any person from taking any action to impede an...more

Jones Day

SEC Announces Proposed Amendments to Whistleblower Program Rules

Jones Day on

The proposed amendments to the rules governing the whistleblower program, if adopted, would reverse prior amendments and provide further and significant financial incentives for whistleblowers to report potential violations...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Gensler-Led SEC Demonstrates Continued Support for Whistleblowers - Capital Markets Compass | Issue 1

On August 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced interim procedures effectively nullifying amendments to the SEC's whistleblower program adopted less than a year ago under former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton....more

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP

SEC Acts to Save the “Related Action” Whistleblower Rule

On August 5, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a “ seeking to address regulatory roadblocks that have hindered the administration of the whistleblower reward program. This Statement follows just...more

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

SEC Whistleblower Protection Rule Not Restricted to Employee Whistleblowers

On July 21, in S.E.C. v. Collector’s Coffee, Inc. et al.,[1] a New York federal court held that a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) whistleblower protection rule prohibiting actions to impede the...more

Jones Day

Recent SEC Enforcement Action Stresses Importance of Not Impeding Whistleblower Communications with Regulators

Jones Day on

The Situation: The SEC has brought another in a growing list of whistleblower cases critical of entities for potentially attempting to impede an individual from communicating with the agency. In July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall...more

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