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Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

District Court partially grants SEC’s motion in confidentiality agreements case

Securities SEC Courts Securities Exchange Act

Securities

On November 17, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York partially granted the SEC’s (plaintiff) motion for summary judgment in a case questioning the extent to which confidentiality agreements can prevent communication with the SEC regarding potential violations of securities laws. The court found that the Commission did not exceed its authority on a count of impeding SEC rules that is connected to a broader civil suit accusing an online store and its CEO (collectively, “defendants”) of stealing nearly $6 million from investors. The plaintiff alleged that the defendants impeded “individuals’ communication with the SEC regarding potential securities laws violations by enforcing or threatening to enforce confidentiality agreements that would prevent individuals’ communications thereof,” in violation of Rule 21F-17 of the Exchange Act. According to the order, in its stock purchase agreements, the defendants allegedly required investors to reject communication with “governmental or administrative agencies or enforcement bodies for the purpose of commencing or otherwise prompting investigation or other action.” The defendants allegedly used lawsuits to prevent communications that would violate its confidentiality agreements, and advertised these suits “to chill further communication,” which the court ruled were “undoubtedly ‘action[s] to impede’ communications, especially where the Rule explicitly prohibits ‘enforcing, or threatening to enforce’ such agreements.” The district court also denied the defendants' cross-motion for summary judgment stating that “the Court is still not persuaded that Rule 21F-17 exceeds the SEC’s rulemaking nor that it violates the First Amendment,” and concluded that the defendants’ conduct violated Rule 21F-17.