The first wave of “say on pay” litigation involved lawsuits brought by shareholders following a negative advisory say on pay vote under the Dodd-Frank Act. The second wave of say on pay litigation, which picked up in 2012, involved plaintiffs’ efforts to enjoin upcoming shareholder votes on compensation or employee share plans on the grounds of inadequate or insufficient proxy disclosure.
Now there is a “third wave” of executive compensation litigation, according to a February 21, 2013 memo from the Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman law firm entitled “Proxy Season Brings a Third Wave of ‘Gotcha’ Shareholder Litigation”. In these third wave lawsuits, the plaintiffs allege that companies issued stock options or restricted stock units to executives in amounts that exceed the limits of the companies’ stock plans. According to the law firm memo, this latest litigation wave “has not crested yet.”
via Now Up: The “Third Wave” of Executive Compensation Litigation — The D & O Diary
