Discovery Rule › Enforcement Actions

U.S. Supreme Court Rules That the Government Does Not Have an Unlimited Amount of Time in Which to Bring Civil Penalty Actions

In a unanimous decision written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., the United States Supreme Court has ruled that the Government does not have an unlimited amount of time to bring civil penalty actions based on fraud. In...more

Supreme Court Unanimously Limits SEC’s Ability To Bring Civil Penalty Claims For Conduct Older Than Five Years

In Gabelli v. SEC, a unanimous Supreme Court held that the statute of limitations for “penalty” claims in governmental enforcement actions begins to run from the date of the underlying violation of the law, not when the...more

Supreme Court in Gabelli: Clock Starts Ticking When Fraud Occurs, Not When It's Discovered

The law requires the SEC to bring enforcement actions seeking penalties against individuals who violate the securities laws within five years. The Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling today that rejects the SEC’s argument...more

"Supreme Court Rejects Discovery Rule on Statute of Limitations for SEC Civil Penalty Enforcement Actions"

Gabelli v. Sec. & Exch. Comm'n, No. 11-1274 (U.S. Feb. 27, 2013) - In a unanimous opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court today held that the five-year limitations period that governs SEC...more