KMK Law Corporate & Securities Blog

Protecting and encouraging whistleblowers has been a priority for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and its enforcement division. The SEC recently announced enforcement actions against two companies for their use of restrictive language in severance agreements that required departing employees to waive their rights to any monetary recovery under Rule 21F-17 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The rule, promulgated under the Dodd-Frank Act, is part of the SEC’s whistleblower program and is intended to prohibit employers from interfering with an employee’s right to report potential securities law violations to the SEC.

While several years have passed since the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Jumpstart Our Business Start-Ups Act took effect, several high-profile provisions of each act have not yet been implemented as final rules await adoption by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This advisory reviews certain provisions of each act and summarizes other related securities regulation developments.