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![]() ![]() Appendix XVII
Sunbeam Corporation
pay $110 million in April 2001. Since that time the money has been held in
escrow earning interest, pending the final settlement with Sunbeam. Mr.
Dunlap, the former CEO, also paid $15 million. Another portion of the
settlement came from the Chubb Group's Executive Risk Indemnity Inc.
($13.5 million), and Great American Insurance Group ($2 million). Both
firms had policies covering Sunbeam officials.
On May 15, 2001, SEC filed a civil action in the U.S. District Court of Miami
against five former officers of Sunbeam (Mr. Dunlap, chairman and CEO;
Russell Kersh, chief financial officer (CFO); Robert Gluck, chief accounting
officer; Donald R. Uzzi and Lee B. Griffith, former vice presidents) and
Phillip Harlow, former Arthur Andersen engagement partner. On May 15,
2001, SEC also instituted an administrative proceeding against Sunbeam,
which was concurrently settled. The complaint charged Sunbeam with
filing false and misleading reports with the Commission from the fourth
quarter of 1996 through the first quarter of 1998. Sunbeam consented to the
entry of a cease-and-desist order prohibiting future violations of the
antifraud, reporting, books and records, and internal controls provisions of
the securities laws. Finally, an administrative action was also filed and
concurrently settled against David Fannin, former Sunbeam general
counsel, for participating in drafting misleading press releases on the
company's operations.
The civil complaint alleges that Messrs. Dunlap and Kersh, together with
others, employed improper accounting techniques and undisclosed
nonrecurring transactions to misrepresent Sunbeam's results of operations.
According to SEC's complaint, through this conduct, Messrs. Dunlap and
Kersh, personally and as controlling persons within the meaning of Section
20(a) of the Exchange Act, and Messrs. Gluck and Griffith violated or aided
and abetted violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Sections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B) and (with the exception of
Mr. Dunlap) 13(b)(5) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-1,
13a-13, 13b2-1, and 13b2-2 thereunder; and Messrs. Uzzi and Harlow
violated or aided and abetted violations of all of the above provisions,
except Exchange Act Rule 13b2-2. SEC seeks, permanent injunctions
against all defendants for future violations of the above provisions of the
securities laws and civil penalties and, in the case of Messrs. Dunlap, Kersh,
Gluck, and Uzzi, seeks permanent bars from acting as an officer or director
of any public company.
On September 4, 2002, Messrs. Dunlap and Kersh agreed to settle their
cases with SEC, while not admitting or denying guilt. Mr. Dunlap paid
Page 205
GAO-03-138 Financial Restatements
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