SEC v. Michael Lauer, No. LR-19019, Southern District of Florida (Dec. 30, 2004) — Press Release
raw: Michael Lauer, et al.
Michael Lauer, et al., No. LR-19019 (Dec. 30, 2004)
Michael Lauer faced an SEC civil contempt application for willfully refusing to comply with multiple court orders requiring him to submit Rule 26 initial disclosure statements in a securities fraud case, obstructing litigation despite warnings and prior judicial directives.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed an application for civil contempt against Michael Lauer on December 20, 2004, for repeatedly failing to provide Rule 26 initial disclosure statements despite two court orders and multiple warnings. The underlying case, initiated in 2003, involved allegations of securities fraud, though the contempt filing specifically addressed Lauer’s discovery noncompliance, not the merits of the fraud claims. No dollar amounts or final penalties are detailed in this filing, as the focus was solely on compelling compliance through contempt sanctions.
In December 2004, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed an application for civil contempt against Michael Lauer for willfully refusing to comply with court orders requiring him to submit Rule 26 initial disclosure statements in its securities fraud case. This contempt action followed two prior court orders and multiple warnings from the SEC, including the provision of Rule 26 itself, all of which Lauer ignored. The underlying litigation, initiated in 2003, alleged securities fraud involving Lauer and others, but the December 2004 filing did not address the substance of those fraud claims. Instead, it focused exclusively on Lauer’s obstruction of the discovery process, which the SEC argued undermined the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The SEC sought a contempt finding to compel compliance, not to resolve the underlying fraud allegations. No monetary penalties or case resolutions were detailed in this specific filing, as the matter remained pending before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The contempt application was part of a broader pattern of noncompliance documented in prior litigation releases from July and December 2004.
Extracted insights
- person michael lauer
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- organization Securities and Exchange Commission
- Securities and Exchange Commission announced it filed an Application for an Order to Show Cause with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on December 20, 2004
- SEC filed Application for an Order to Show Cause why Michael Lauer should not be held in civil contempt
- Michael Lauer should not be held civil contempt for violating the Court's December 3, 2004 order
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 19019 / December 30, 2004 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION V. MICHAEL LAUER, ET AL., Case No. 03-80612-CIV-MARRA/VITUNAC (S.D. Fla). SEC FILES APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE WHY MICHAEL LAUER SHOULD NOT BE HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR VIOLATING THE COURT'S DECEMBER 3, 2004 ORDER The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on December 20, 2004, it filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida an Application for an Order to Show Cause why Michael Lauer should not be held in civil contempt for violating the Court's December 3, 2004 Order requiring him to provide a Rule 26 initial disclosure statement within five days. The Commission's contempt application asserts that even after the Commission informed Lauer several times of Rule 26's disclosure requirements and provided him a copy of the Rule, and even after two Court orders requiring him to provide disclosures, Lauer has refused to do so. For further information, see Litigation Release No. 18226 (July 10, 2003), Litigation Release No. 18247 (July 23, 2003), and Litigation Release No. 18991 (December 2, 2004).
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 19019 / December 30, 2004 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION V. MICHAEL LAUER, ET AL., Case No. 03-80612-CIV-MARRA/VITUNAC (S.D. Fla). SEC FILES APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE WHY MICHAEL LAUER SHOULD NOT BE HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR VIOLATING THE COURT'S DECEMBER 3, 2004 ORDER The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on December 20, 2004, it filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida an Application for an Order to Show Cause why Michael Lauer should not be held in civil contempt for violating the Court's December 3, 2004 Order requiring him to provide a Rule 26 initial disclosure statement within five days. The Commission's contempt application asserts that even after the Commission informed Lauer several times of Rule 26's disclosure requirements and provided him a copy of the Rule, and even after two Court orders requiring him to provide disclosures, Lauer has refused to do so. For further information, see Litigation Release No. 18226 (July 10, 2003), Litigation Release No. 18247 (July 23, 2003), and Litigation Release No. 18991 (December 2, 2004).