Watch Out For Those Claws!

The SEC's recent clawback action against Maynard Jenkins, the former CEO of auto supplier CSK Auto Corporation, has gotten more commentary than just about any other recent enforcement proceeding I can think of. The SEC is seeking reimbursement of $4 million in Jenkins' bonuses and profits from his stock sales during years when CSK's financial results were inflated by accounting fraud. What's getting all the attention? The SEC has not charged Jenkins individually with any wrongdoing. 

The SEC is seeking the clawback under Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which allows recovery of incentive compensation following a financial restatement "as a result of misconduct." Section 304 doesn't specify that the misconduct be tied directly to the individual from whom the recovery is sought. However, the SEC, in its press release announcing the action, reported:

It is the first action seeking reimbursement under the SOX 'clawback' provision . . . from an individual who is not alleged to have otherwise violated the securities laws. . . . . 'Jenkins was captain of the ship and profited during the time that CSK was misleading investors about the company's financial health,' said Rosalind R. Tyson, Director of the SEC's Los Angeles Regional Office. 'The law requires Jenkins to return those proceeds to CSK.'

Much of the negative commentary accuses the SEC of overreaching, in a situation where it could not state an accounting fraud case directly against Jenkins. However, this case is an extreme one - Jenkins collected $4 million in bonuses and stock profits at a time when the company was committing massive accounting fraud. The COO, CFO, controller and another responsible officer were all indicted, and the latter two individuals have already pled guilty. Even if the SEC couldn't make a direct case against Jenkins for the fraud, this is the perfect test case for the extension of a Section 304 clawback beyond the responsible individuals to the "captain of the ship".

Regardless of the result in the case, the SEC has sent another signal that it is "loaded for bear" - as we reported in this post, the agency has a beefed-up enforcement staff and new energy. Regardless of the result in the Jenkins "no fault clawback" case, the SEC will be putting more heat on executives in the coming months.