Posts Tagged ‘Akin Gump’

SEC Conflict Minerals Reporting: Filed v. Furnished and Audit Risks

Top law firm Akin Gump recently published an Alert containing their in-depth analysis of the letter from Senator Leahy and others to SEC expressing views on the final SEC conflict minerals regulation yet to be promulgated.  Akin Gump noted Leahy’s comments on the SEC’s apparent position that the conflict minerals report (CMR) be “furnished” rather than “filed”. The practical impact of the “furnished” vs. “filed” distinction is that “furnished” information is not automatically incorporated by reference into a reporting issuer’s filings with the Commission and is not subject to liability under Section 18 of the Exchange Act. Section 18 of the Exchange Act makes reporting issuers liable for “false or misleading statements” if investors rely on such statements when purchasing or selling securities at a price which was affected by such statements. Reporting issuers who are required to “furnish” information to the SEC as an exhibit to an annual filing may still be subject to liability for violations of Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act if they fail to furnish a required exhibit or if the required exhibit is “unreliable”. Penalties for such violations may be injunctive, civil or criminal and may also extend to individual executives of

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