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First Decision to Directly Address the Right to Enforce

By Kimberly S. Greer and Tyson E. Marshall
November 28, 2005

On Sept. 27, 2005, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was the first federal court to address whether private plaintiffs have the right to sue under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell concluded that Section 304 “does not provide a private right of action for shareholders to file a derivative suit.” Neer v. Pelino, No. 04-4791, 2005 WL 2434685 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 27, 2005). Accordingly, only the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may bring an action to enforce Section 304.

Section 304 of SOX

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