25.12.2012 Views

Outline of Recent SEC Enforcement Actions - the Utah State Bar

Outline of Recent SEC Enforcement Actions - the Utah State Bar

Outline of Recent SEC Enforcement Actions - the Utah State Bar

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

$328,300 for Lazaridis) plus interest. Their disgorgement will be deemed satisfied by <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

previous payment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se amounts to RIM.<br />

The settlements in <strong>the</strong> civil injunctive action are subject to <strong>the</strong> approval <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> U.S.<br />

District Court for <strong>the</strong> District <strong>of</strong> Columbia.<br />

On Feb. 5, 2009, <strong>the</strong> Ontario Securities Commission brought a related settled action<br />

against RIM, Balsillie, Lazaridis, Kavelman, Loberto and certain o<strong>the</strong>r directors which included<br />

<strong>the</strong> total payment in Canadian dollars <strong>of</strong> $76.85 million and o<strong>the</strong>r sanctions. The <strong>SEC</strong><br />

acknowledges <strong>the</strong> assistance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ontario Securities Commission in this matter.<br />

<strong>SEC</strong> v. UnitedHealth Group Inc.<br />

<strong>SEC</strong> v. David J. Lubben<br />

Litigation Release No. 20836 (December 22, 2008)<br />

http://sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2008/lr20836.htm<br />

Press Release (December 22, 2008)<br />

http://sec.gov/news/press/2008/2008-302.htm<br />

The Securities and Exchange Commission, on December 22, 2008, filed a civil injunctive<br />

action against UnitedHealth Group Inc., a Minnetonka, Minnesota, health insurance company,<br />

alleging that it engaged in a scheme to backdate stock options. Without admitting or denying <strong>the</strong><br />

allegations, UnitedHealth agreed to settle charges that it violated <strong>the</strong> reporting, books and<br />

records, and internal controls provisions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> federal securities laws.<br />

In a separate complaint, <strong>the</strong> Commission charged former UnitedHealth General Counsel<br />

David J. Lubben with participating in <strong>the</strong> stock option backdating scheme. Without admitting or<br />

denying <strong>the</strong> allegations, Lubben consented to, among o<strong>the</strong>r things, an antifraud injunction, a<br />

$575,000 penalty, and a five-year <strong>of</strong>ficer and director bar.<br />

The Commission alleges that between 1994 and 2005, UnitedHealth concealed more than<br />

$1 billion in stock option compensation by providing senior executives and o<strong>the</strong>r employees with<br />

“in-<strong>the</strong>-money” options while secretly backdating <strong>the</strong> grants to avoid reporting <strong>the</strong> expenses to<br />

investors.<br />

According to <strong>the</strong> Commission’s complaint, certain UnitedHealth <strong>of</strong>ficers used hindsight<br />

to pick advantageous grant dates for <strong>the</strong> company’s nonqualified stock options that on many<br />

occasions coincided with, or were close to, dates <strong>of</strong> historically low annual and quarterly closing<br />

prices for UnitedHealth’s common stock. Although pricing <strong>the</strong> options below current prices<br />

required <strong>the</strong> company to report a compensation expense under well-settled accounting principles,<br />

UnitedHealth avoided reporting <strong>the</strong> charges by creating inaccurate and misleading documents<br />

indicating that <strong>the</strong> options had been granted on <strong>the</strong> earlier date. The backdated grants resulted in<br />

materially misleading disclosures, with <strong>the</strong> company overstating its net income in fiscal years<br />

1994 through 2005 by as much as $1.526 billion.<br />

The Commission declined to charge <strong>the</strong> company with fraud or seek a monetary penalty,<br />

based on <strong>the</strong> company’s extraordinary cooperation in <strong>the</strong> Commission’s investigation, as well as<br />

28

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!