In re Legacy Housing
Legacy Housing Corporation agreed to a cease-and-desist order with the SEC for violating federal securities laws by failing to disclose delinquent Section 16(a) filings and causing certain violations, resulting in a $200,000 civil penalty.
Legacy Housing Corporation was accused of violating federal securities laws by failing to disclose delinquent Section 16(a) filings by its insiders and causing certain violations of Section 16(a) by its insiders. The company's negligence in performing tasks related to the preparation and filing of Section 16(a) reports on behalf of its insiders resulted in over 200 untimely Forms 4 filed between July 2019 and July 2022. Legacy agreed to pay a civil money penalty of $200,000 and to cease and desist from committing or causing any future violations of Sections 13(a) and 16(a) of the Exchange Act.
Legacy Housing Corporation, a Texas-based company with its common stock registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, was accused of violating federal securities laws by failing to disclose delinquent Section 16(a) filings by its insiders and causing certain violations of Section 16(a) by its insiders. The company's negligence in performing tasks related to the preparation and filing of Section 16(a) reports on behalf of its insiders resulted in over 200 untimely Forms 4 filed between July 2019 and July 2022. Legacy voluntarily assumed responsibility for preparing and filing Section 16(a) reports on behalf of its officers, directors, and major shareholders, but its inadequate procedures led to the untimely filings. The company also omitted required Item 405 disclosures in its annual reports, even though numerous insiders had late or missing filings. Legacy agreed to pay a civil money penalty of $200,000 and to cease and desist from committing or causing any future violations of Sections 13(a) and 16(a) of the Exchange Act. The SEC noted Legacy's cooperation and remedial efforts as mitigating factors in the settlement. As part of the agreement, Legacy also committed not to seek a penalty offset in any related investor litigation.
Extracted insights
- $200K $200,000 $100K–$1M
- person reporting issuers
- agency the securities and exchange commission
- The Securities and Exchange Commission Deems It Appropriate Cease-and-desist proceedings be instituted
- Respondent Submitted An Offer of Settlement
- The Commission Accepted Respondent's Offer of Settlement
- Respondent Consents to The entry of the Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings
- The Commission Finds Proceedings arise out of violations of the issuer reporting requirements and beneficial ownership reporting requirements of the federal securities laws
- Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act Requires Officers and directors of a company with a class of equity security registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and any beneficial owners of greater than 10% of such class to file certain reports of securities holdings and transactions
- The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Accelerated The reporting deadline for most transactions to two business days
- The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Mandated All reports be filed electronically on EDGAR to facilitate rapid dissemination to the public
- Reporting issuers Are Required To Disclose Section 16 reporting delinquencies by its insiders in the proxy statement for the issuer’s annual meeting, or its annual report
- The Commission Encouraged The practice of many issuers to help their officers and directors or submit the filings on their behalf
- Respondent Has Been A reporting issuer since 2018
- Respondent's Insiders Violated Section 16(a) by failing to timely file required reports
- Respondent Failed To Comply With Its disclosure obligations to report such delinquencies
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Before the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Release No. 101172 / September 25, 2024
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-22188
In the Matter of
Legacy Housing
Corporation,
Respondent.
ORDER INSTITUTING CEASE-AND-
DESIST PROCEEDINGS PURSUANT TO
SECTION 21C OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, MAKING
FINDINGS, AND IMPOSING A CEASE-
AND-DESIST ORDER
I.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) deems it appropriate that
cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 21C of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), against Legacy Housing Corporation
(“Legacy” or “Respondent”).
II.
In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondent has submitted an Offer
of Settlement (the “Offer”) which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the
purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the
Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the
findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over Respondent and the subject
matter of these proceedings, which are admitted, Respondent consents to the entry of this Order
Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (“Order”), as set forth
below.
2
III.
On the basis of this Order and Respondent’s Offer, the Commission finds
1
that:
Summary
1. These proceedings arise out of violations of the issuer reporting requirements and
beneficial ownership reporting requirements of the federal securities laws.
2. Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder require
officers and directors of a company with a class of equity security registered under Section 12 of the
Exchange Act, and any beneficial owners of greater than 10% of such class (collectively,
“insiders”), to file certain reports of securities holdings and transactions. Section 16(a) was
motivated by a belief that “the most potent weapon against the abuse of inside information is full
and prompt publicity” and by a desire “to give investors an idea of the purchases and sales by
insiders which may in turn indicate their private opinion as to prospects of the company.” H.R.
Rep. 73-1383, at 13, 24 (1934). Reflecting this informational purpose, the obligation to file applies
irrespective of profits or the filer’s reasons for engaging in the transactions. The Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 and Commission implementing regulations accelerated the reporting deadline for most
transactions to two business days and mandated that all reports be filed electronically on EDGAR to
facilitate rapid dissemination to the public.
3. Reporting issuers are required to disclose in the proxy statement for the issuer’s
annual meeting, or its annual report, Section 16 reporting delinquencies by its insiders. Although
insiders remain responsible for the timeliness and accuracy of their required Section 16(a) reports,
the Commission has encouraged the practice of many issuers to “help their [officers and directors]
or submit the [] filings on their behalf . . . [in order] to facilitate accurate and timely filing.”
Mandated Electronic Filing and Website Posting for Forms 3, 4 and 5, SEC Release No. 34-47809
(May 7, 2003), 68 Fed. Reg. 25788, 25789 (May 13, 2003).
4. Since 2018, Respondent has been a reporting issuer and its insiders have been
required to file Section 16(a) reports. On numerous occasions, Respondent’s insiders violated
Section 16(a) by failing to timely file required reports. Respondent failed to comply with its
disclosure obligations to report such delinquencies. In addition, Respondent was a cause of
many of the Section 16(a) violations by its insiders as a result of Respondent’s negligence in
performing certain tasks it voluntarily agreed to undertake in connection with the preparation and
filing of Section 16(a) reports on their behalf.
Respondent
5. Legacy is a Texas corporation with its principal place of business in Texas.
Legacy’s common stock is and has been at all relevant times registered with the Commission under
1
The findings herein are made pursuant to Respondent’s Offer of Settlement and are not binding on
any other person or entity in this or any other proceeding.
3
Section 12 of the Exchange Act and trades on the NASDAQ (ticker: LEGH). Legacy is required to
file annual reports on Form 10-K pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13a-1
thereunder.
Applicable Legal Framework
6. Pursuant to Section 16(a) and Rule 16a-3, insiders are required to file initial
statements of holdings on Form 3 and keep this information current by reporting transactions on
Forms 4 and 5. Specifically, within 10 days after becoming an insider, or on or before the effective
date of the Section 12 registration of the class of equity security, an insider must file a Form 3 report
disclosing his or her beneficial ownership of all securities of the issuer. To keep this information
current, insiders must file Form 4 reports disclosing transactions resulting in a change in beneficial
ownership within two business days following the execution date of the transaction, except for
limited types of transactions eligible for deferred reporting. Transactions required to be reported on
Form 4 include purchases and sales of securities, exercises and conversions of derivative securities,
and grants or awards of securities from the issuer. In addition, insiders are required to file a Form 5
report within 45 days after the issuer’s fiscal year-end to report any transactions or holdings that
should have been, but were not, reported on Form 3 or 4 during the issuer’s most recent fiscal year
and any transactions eligible for deferred reporting (unless the corporate insider has previously
reported all such transactions). Insiders are required to file the reports electronically on EDGAR.
There is no state of mind requirement for violations of Section 16(a) and the rules thereunder.
2
7. Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act requires issuers that have securities registered
pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act to file such periodic and other reports as the
Commission may prescribe and in conformity with such rules as the Commission may promulgate.
Exchange Act Rule 13a-1 requires such issuers to file annual reports with the Commission
containing specified information. In 1991, the Commission adopted Item 405 of Regulation S-K to
help address compliance with Section 16(a) by requiring reporting issuers to disclose in annual
proxy and information statements or annual reports information regarding delinquent Section
16(a) filings by insiders.
3
2
See, e.g., SEC v. e-Smart Technologies, Inc., 82 F. Supp. 3d 97, 104 (D.D.C. 2015) (scienter is not required
to establish a violation of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act); cf. Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., 47 SEC 286, 1980 WL
26901, at *2 (May 19, 1980) (Commission opinion) (“We have previously held that the failure to make a required
report, even though inadvertent, constitutes a willful violation”); SEC Release No. 34-47809, 68 Fed. Reg. at 25792
(noting that an issuer’s eligibility for temporary relief from disclosing Forms 4 filed one business day late by its
insiders “does not change the fact that any Form 3, 4 or 5 filed later than the applicable due date violates Section
16(a)”) (emphasis added). Negligence is sufficient to establish liability for causing such violations. See KPMG
Peat Marwick LLP, 74 SEC Docket 357, 2001 WL 47245, at *19 (Jan. 19, 2001) (Commission opinion)
(“[N]egligence is sufficient to establish ‘causing’ liability under Exchange Act Section 21C(a) ... in cases in which a
person is alleged to ‘cause’ a primary violation that does not require scienter.”).
3
Ownership Reports and Trading by Officers, Directors and Principal Security Holders, SEC Release 34-
28869, 56 Fed. Reg. 7242, 7259-60 (Feb. 21, 1991); 17 C.F.R. § 229.405. The Commission amended Item 405 in
FAST Act Modernization and Simplification of Regulation S-K, SEC Release 33-10618 (Mar. 20, 2019), 84 Fed.
4
8. Item 405 of Regulation S-K specifically requires an issuer to disclose any late
filing or known failure by an insider to file a report required by Section 16(a). In determining
whether such disclosure is required, the issuer may rely on a review of the Forms 3 and 4 filed
during the most recent fiscal year, and Forms 5 filed with respect to the most recent fiscal year,
by the issuer’s insiders. Section 16(a) reports are posted on EDGAR, and thus are readily
available to issuers to evaluate their timeliness. A “known” failure to file includes, but is not
limited to, a failure to file a Form 3, which is required of all insiders, and a failure to file a Form
5 in the absence of a written representation that no Form 5 is required, unless the issuer
otherwise knows that no Form 5 is required. The Item 405 disclosure of any late filings or
known failures to file must (i) identify by name each insider who failed to file on a timely basis
Forms 3, 4, or 5 during the most recent fiscal year or prior fiscal years and (ii) set forth the
number of late reports, the number of late-reported transactions, and any known failure to file.
An issuer does not have an obligation under Item 405 to research or make inquiry regarding
delinquent Section 16(a) filings beyond the review specified in the item.
9. An issuer that files annual reports with the Commission on Form 10-K, such as
Respondent, is required to include the Item 405 disclosure in its Form 10-K in Part III, or
incorporate by reference to its Form 10-K the Item 405 disclosure made in the issuer’s definitive
proxy or information statement for its annual meeting of shareholders for the election of
directors, if that definitive proxy or information statement is filed with the Commission not later
than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by the Form 10-K. If such definitive proxy
or information statement is not filed with the Commission in the 120-day period, the information
must be filed as part of the Form 10-K, or as an amendment to the Form 10-K filed not later than
the end of the 120-day period. To the extent disclosure is required by Item 405, materially false,
misleading, or omitted Item 405 disclosures constitute a violation of Section 13(a) of the
Exchange Act and Rule 13a-1. No showing of scienter is necessary to establish a violation of
Section 13(a).
4
Respondent Failed to Comply with Item 405 Disclosure Requirements
10. As an issuer required to file annual reports on Form 10-K, Respondent is and has
been at all relevant times required to disclose information concerning delinquent Section 16(a)
filings by its insiders to the extent required by Item 405 of Regulation S-K.
11. Respondent failed to make the required Item 405 disclosure for its 2019, 2020,
and 2021 fiscal years by improperly omitting it from its Forms 10-K filed with respect to such
fiscal years. Respondent’s Forms 10-K filed with respect to such fiscal years purported to
provide all Part III information required, such as information regarding its executive officers,
directors, corporate governance and other required matters, but failed to include any Item 405
disclosure and did not state that it was incorporating by reference any information from other
Reg. 12674 (Apr. 2, 2019), which among other things, permits an issuer to omit the disclosure if there are no Section
16(a) delinquencies to report.
4
SEC v. McNulty, 137 F.3d 732, 740-41 (2d Cir. 1998).
5
filings. An issuer may only omit the disclosure if there are no Section 16(a) delinquencies to
report, and numerous Legacy insiders had multiple delinquent filings during each of its 2019,
2020, and 2021 fiscal years. Respondent also did not file an amendment to such Forms 10-K not
later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by the Form 10-K to provide such
information or file a definitive proxy statement no later than the end of the 120-day period that
included such information.
12. While Respondent’s fiscal year ends December 31, Respondent does not hold its
annual meetings for the election of directors until late November or early December, and
Respondent filed its definitive proxy statements for such annual meetings in late October or early
November of each year. Although Respondent included an Item 405 disclosure in these proxy
statements with respect to the prior year ended December 31, this disclosure was not
incorporated by reference into the Forms 10-K and was, in any event, approximately six months
after the 120-day deadline for providing or incorporating such information in the Forms 10-K
and nearly 10 months after the end of the fiscal years.
5
13. As a result of the conduct described above, Respondent failed to comply with its
disclosure obligation to the extent required by Item 405 and violated Section 13(a) of the
Exchange Act and Rule 13a-1 thereunder.
Respondent Was a Cause of Certain Violations of Section 16(a) by its Insiders
14. Although the Commission encourages the practice of many issuers to assist insiders
in complying with Section 16(a) filing requirements, issuers who voluntarily accept certain
responsibilities and then act negligently in the performance of those tasks may be liable as a cause
of Section 16(a) violations by insiders.
15. Since at least 2018, Respondent has voluntarily agreed with its officers and
directors, as well as two other greater than 10% beneficial owners, to perform certain tasks in
connection with the filing of Section 16(a) reports on their behalf, including the preparation and
filing of all such reports for which Respondent had timely notification of the required
information concerning the transactions. However, on multiple occasions, Respondent acted
negligently in its performance of such tasks and was a cause of Legacy insiders failing to file
Section 16(a) reports on a timely basis. The procedures and practices employed by Respondent
5
The disclosures made in these definitive proxy statements also did not fully comply with the requirements
of Item 405. Among other things, Respondent’s disclosures with respect to the years 2019 to 2021 provided the
names of insiders with delinquent filings and specified the number of late Forms filed, but failed to set forth the
number of transactions that were not reported on a timely basis; in many instances the number of such transactions
far exceeded the number of untimely Forms filed by such insider. In addition, with respect to the disclosures
covering the years 2019 and 2020, it omitted from its disclosure several untimely Forms 4.
6
were insufficient to the extent that those practices resulted in the recurrent failure to meet the
two-business day filing deadline.
16. For example, between July 2019 and July 2022, Respondent’s insiders filed more
than 200 untimely Forms 4 to report transactions related to, among other things, open-market
stock sales and award grants of stock and options to officers and directors. Although Respondent
had agreed to perform all tasks in connection with preparing and filing such reports, the reports
were not timely filed due to Respondent's negligent procedures and practices.
17. As a result of the conduct described above, Respondent was a cause of certain
violations of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 16a-3 thereunder by Respondent’s
insiders.
Respondent’s Remedial Efforts
18. In determining to accept the Offer, the Commission considered certain remedial
acts undertaken by Respondent and cooperation afforded to Commission staff.
IV.
In view of the foregoing, the Commission deems it appropriate to impose the sanctions
agreed to in Respondent’s Offer.
Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that:
A. Pursuant to Section 21C of the Exchange Act, Respondent Legacy cease and desist
from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 13(a) and 16(a) of
the Exchange Act and Rules 13a-1 and 16a-3 promulgated thereunder.
B. Respondent shall, within 14 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money
penalty in the amount of $200,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission, for transfer to
the general fund of the United States Treasury, subject to Exchange Act Section 21F(g)(3). If
timely payment is not made, additional interest shall accrue pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3717.
Payment must be made in one of the following ways:
(1) Respondent may transmit payment electronically to the Commission, which will
provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon request;
(2) Respondent may make direct payment from a bank account via Pay.gov through
the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm; or
(3) Respondent may pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United States
postal money order, made payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission and hand-
delivered or mailed to:
7
Enterprise Services Center
Accounts Receivable Branch
HQ Bldg., Room 181, AMZ-341
6500 South MacArthur Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73169
Payments by check or money order must be accompanied by a cover letter identifying
Legacy Housing Corporation as a Respondent in these proceedings, and the file number of these
proceedings; a copy of the cover letter and check or money order must be sent to Thomas Smith,
Associate Regional Director, Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission,
100 Pearl Street, Suite 20-100, New York, NY 10004.
C. Amounts ordered to be paid as civil money penalties pursuant to this Order shall
be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To
preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Respondent agrees that in any Related Investor
Action, it shall not argue that it is entitled to, nor shall it benefit by, offset or reduction of any
award of compensatory damages by the amount of any part of Respondent’s payment of a civil
penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such
a Penalty Offset, Respondent agrees that it shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order
granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount
of the Penalty Offset to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such a payment shall not be
deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil
penalty imposed in this proceeding. For purposes of this paragraph, a “Related Investor Action”
means a private damages action brought against Respondent by or on behalf of one or more
investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Order instituted by the
Commission in this proceeding.
By the Commission.
Vanessa A. Countryman
Secretary UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Before the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Release No. 101172 / September 25, 2024
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-22188
In the Matter of
Legacy Housing
Corporation,
Respondent.
ORDER INSTITUTING CEASE-AND-
DESIST PROCEEDINGS PURSUANT TO
SECTION 21C OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, MAKING
FINDINGS, AND IMPOSING A CEASE-
AND-DESIST ORDER
I.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) deems it appropriate that
cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 21C of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), against Legacy Housing Corporation
(“Legacy” or “Respondent”).
II.
In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondent has submitted an Offer
of Settlement (the “Offer”) which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the
purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the
Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the
findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over Respondent and the subject
matter of these proceedings, which are admitted, Respondent consents to the entry of this Order
Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (“Order”), as set forth
below.
2
III.
On the basis of this Order and Respondent’s Offer, the Commission finds1 that:
Summary
1. These proceedings arise out of violations of the issuer reporting requirements and
beneficial ownership reporting requirements of the federal securities laws.
2. Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder require
officers and directors of a company with a class of equity security registered under Section 12 of the
Exchange Act, and any beneficial owners of greater than 10% of such class (collectively,
“insiders”), to file certain reports of securities holdings and transactions. Section 16(a) was
motivated by a belief that “the most potent weapon against the abuse of inside information is full
and prompt publicity” and by a desire “to give investors an idea of the purchases and sales by
insiders which may in turn indicate their private opinion as to prospects of the company.” H.R.
Rep. 73-1383, at 13, 24 (1934). Reflecting this informational purpose, the obligation to file applies
irrespective of profits or the filer’s reasons for engaging in the transactions. The Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 and Commission implementing regulations accelerated the reporting deadline for most
transactions to two business days and mandated that all reports be filed electronically on EDGAR to
facilitate rapid dissemination to the public.
3. Reporting issuers are required to disclose in the proxy statement for the issuer’s
annual meeting, or its annual report, Section 16 reporting delinquencies by its insiders. Although
insiders remain responsible for the timeliness and accuracy of their required Section 16(a) reports,
the Commission has encouraged the practice of many issuers to “help their [officers and directors]
or submit the [] filings on their behalf . . . [in order] to facilitate accurate and timely filing.”
Mandated Electronic Filing and Website Posting for Forms 3, 4 and 5, SEC Release No. 34-47809
(May 7, 2003), 68 Fed. Reg. 25788, 25789 (May 13, 2003).
4. Since 2018, Respondent has been a reporting issuer and its insiders have been
required to file Section 16(a) reports. On numerous occasions, Respondent’s insiders violated
Section 16(a) by failing to timely file required reports. Respondent failed to comply with its
disclosure obligations to report such delinquencies. In addition, Respondent was a cause of
many of the Section 16(a) violations by its insiders as a result of Respondent’s negligence in
performing certain tasks it voluntarily agreed to undertake in connection with the preparation and
filing of Section 16(a) reports on their behalf.
Respondent
5. Legacy is a Texas corporation with its principal place of business in Texas.
Legacy’s common stock is and has been at all relevant times registered with the Commission under
1 The findings herein are made pursuant to Respondent’s Offer of Settlement and are not binding on
any other person or entity in this or any other proceeding.
3
Section 12 of the Exchange Act and trades on the NASDAQ (ticker: LEGH). Legacy is required to
file annual reports on Form 10-K pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13a-1
thereunder.
Applicable Legal Framework
6. Pursuant to Section 16(a) and Rule 16a-3, insiders are required to file initial
statements of holdings on Form 3 and keep this information current by reporting transactions on
Forms 4 and 5. Specifically, within 10 days after becoming an insider, or on or before the effective
date of the Section 12 registration of the class of equity security, an insider must file a Form 3 report
disclosing his or her beneficial ownership of all securities of the issuer. To keep this information
current, insiders must file Form 4 reports disclosing transactions resulting in a change in beneficial
ownership within two business days following the execution date of the transaction, except for
limited types of transactions eligible for deferred reporting. Transactions required to be reported on
Form 4 include purchases and sales of securities, exercises and conversions of derivative securities,
and grants or awards of securities from the issuer. In addition, insiders are required to file a Form 5
report within 45 days after the issuer’s fiscal year-end to report any transactions or holdings that
should have been, but were not, reported on Form 3 or 4 during the issuer’s most recent fiscal year
and any transactions eligible for deferred reporting (unless the corporate insider has previously
reported all such transactions). Insiders are required to file the reports electronically on EDGAR.
There is no state of mind requirement for violations of Section 16(a) and the rules thereunder.2
7. Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act requires issuers that have securities registered
pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act to file such periodic and other reports as the
Commission may prescribe and in conformity with such rules as the Commission may promulgate.
Exchange Act Rule 13a-1 requires such issuers to file annual reports with the Commission
containing specified information. In 1991, the Commission adopted Item 405 of Regulation S-K to
help address compliance with Section 16(a) by requiring reporting issuers to disclose in annual
proxy and information statements or annual reports information regarding delinquent Section
16(a) filings by insiders.3
2 See, e.g., SEC v. e-Smart Technologies, Inc., 82 F. Supp. 3d 97, 104 (D.D.C. 2015) (scienter is not required
to establish a violation of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act); cf. Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., 47 SEC 286, 1980 WL
26901, at *2 (May 19, 1980) (Commission opinion) (“We have previously held that the failure to make a required
report, even though inadvertent, constitutes a willful violation”); SEC Release No. 34-47809, 68 Fed. Reg. at 25792
(noting that an issuer’s eligibility for temporary relief from disclosing Forms 4 filed one business day late by its
insiders “does not change the fact that any Form 3, 4 or 5 filed later than the applicable due date violates Section
16(a)”) (emphasis added). Negligence is sufficient to establish liability for causing such violations. See KPMG
Peat Marwick LLP, 74 SEC Docket 357, 2001 WL 47245, at *19 (Jan. 19, 2001) (Commission opinion)
(“[N]egligence is sufficient to establish ‘causing’ liability under Exchange Act Section 21C(a) … in cases in which a
person is alleged to ‘cause’ a primary violation that does not require scienter.”).
3 Ownership Reports and Trading by Officers, Directors and Principal Security Holders, SEC Release 34-
28869, 56 Fed. Reg. 7242, 7259-60 (Feb. 21, 1991); 17 C.F.R. § 229.405. The Commission amended Item 405 in
FAST Act Modernization and Simplification of Regulation S-K, SEC Release 33-10618 (Mar. 20, 2019), 84 Fed.
4
8. Item 405 of Regulation S-K specifically requires an issuer to disclose any late
filing or known failure by an insider to file a report required by Section 16(a). In determining
whether such disclosure is required, the issuer may rely on a review of the Forms 3 and 4 filed
during the most recent fiscal year, and Forms 5 filed with respect to the most recent fiscal year,
by the issuer’s insiders. Section 16(a) reports are posted on EDGAR, and thus are readily
available to issuers to evaluate their timeliness. A “known” failure to file includes, but is not
limited to, a failure to file a Form 3, which is required of all insiders, and a failure to file a Form
5 in the absence of a written representation that no Form 5 is required, unless the issuer
otherwise knows that no Form 5 is required. The Item 405 disclosure of any late filings or
known failures to file must (i) identify by name each insider who failed to file on a timely basis
Forms 3, 4, or 5 during the most recent fiscal year or prior fiscal years and (ii) set forth the
number of late reports, the number of late-reported transactions, and any known failure to file.
An issuer does not have an obligation under Item 405 to research or make inquiry regarding
delinquent Section 16(a) filings beyond the review specified in the item.
9. An issuer that files annual reports with the Commission on Form 10-K, such as
Respondent, is required to include the Item 405 disclosure in its Form 10-K in Part III, or
incorporate by reference to its Form 10-K the Item 405 disclosure made in the issuer’s definitive
proxy or information statement for its annual meeting of shareholders for the election of
directors, if that definitive proxy or information statement is filed with the Commission not later
than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by the Form 10-K. If such definitive proxy
or information statement is not filed with the Commission in the 120-day period, the information
must be filed as part of the Form 10-K, or as an amendment to the Form 10-K filed not later than
the end of the 120-day period. To the extent disclosure is required by Item 405, materially false,
misleading, or omitted Item 405 disclosures constitute a violation of Section 13(a) of the
Exchange Act and Rule 13a-1. No showing of scienter is necessary to establish a violation of
Section 13(a).4
Respondent Failed to Comply with Item 405 Disclosure Requirements
10. As an issuer required to file annual reports on Form 10-K, Respondent is and has
been at all relevant times required to disclose information concerning delinquent Section 16(a)
filings by its insiders to the extent required by Item 405 of Regulation S-K.
11. Respondent failed to make the required Item 405 disclosure for its 2019, 2020,
and 2021 fiscal years by improperly omitting it from its Forms 10-K filed with respect to such
fiscal years. Respondent’s Forms 10-K filed with respect to such fiscal years purported to
provide all Part III information required, such as information regarding its executive officers,
directors, corporate governance and other required matters, but failed to include any Item 405
disclosure and did not state that it was incorporating by reference any information from other
Reg. 12674 (Apr. 2, 2019), which among other things, permits an issuer to omit the disclosure if there are no Section
16(a) delinquencies to report.
4 SEC v. McNulty, 137 F.3d 732, 740-41 (2d Cir. 1998).
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filings. An issuer may only omit the disclosure if there are no Section 16(a) delinquencies to
report, and numerous Legacy insiders had multiple delinquent filings during each of its 2019,
2020, and 2021 fiscal years. Respondent also did not file an amendment to such Forms 10-K not
later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by the Form 10-K to provide such
information or file a definitive proxy statement no later than the end of the 120-day period that
included such information.
12. While Respondent’s fiscal year ends December 31, Respondent does not hold its
annual meetings for the election of directors until late November or early December, and
Respondent filed its definitive proxy statements for such annual meetings in late October or early
November of each year. Although Respondent included an Item 405 disclosure in these proxy
statements with respect to the prior year ended December 31, this disclosure was not
incorporated by reference into the Forms 10-K and was, in any event, approximately six months
after the 120-day deadline for providing or incorporating such information in the Forms 10-K
and nearly 10 months after the end of the fiscal years.5
13. As a result of the conduct described above, Respondent failed to comply with its
disclosure obligation to the extent required by Item 405 and violated Section 13(a) of the
Exchange Act and Rule 13a-1 thereunder.
Respondent Was a Cause of Certain Violations of Section 16(a) by its Insiders
14. Although the Commission encourages the practice of many issuers to assist insiders
in complying with Section 16(a) filing requirements, issuers who voluntarily accept certain
responsibilities and then act negligently in the performance of those tasks may be liable as a cause
of Section 16(a) violations by insiders.
15. Since at least 2018, Respondent has voluntarily agreed with its officers and
directors, as well as two other greater than 10% beneficial owners, to perform certain tasks in
connection with the filing of Section 16(a) reports on their behalf, including the preparation and
filing of all such reports for which Respondent had timely notification of the required
information concerning the transactions. However, on multiple occasions, Respondent acted
negligently in its performance of such tasks and was a cause of Legacy insiders failing to file
Section 16(a) reports on a timely basis. The procedures and practices employed by Respondent
5 The disclosures made in these definitive proxy statements also did not fully comply with the requirements
of Item 405. Among other things, Respondent’s disclosures with respect to the years 2019 to 2021 provided the
names of insiders with delinquent filings and specified the number of late Forms filed, but failed to set forth the
number of transactions that were not reported on a timely basis; in many instances the number of such transactions
far exceeded the number of untimely Forms filed by such insider. In addition, with respect to the disclosures
covering the years 2019 and 2020, it omitted from its disclosure several untimely Forms 4.
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were insufficient to the extent that those practices resulted in the recurrent failure to meet the
two-business day filing deadline.
16. For example, between July 2019 and July 2022, Respondent’s insiders filed more
than 200 untimely Forms 4 to report transactions related to, among other things, open-market
stock sales and award grants of stock and options to officers and directors. Although Respondent
had agreed to perform all tasks in connection with preparing and filing such reports, the reports
were not timely filed due to Respondent's negligent procedures and practices.
17. As a result of the conduct described above, Respondent was a cause of certain
violations of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 16a-3 thereunder by Respondent’s
insiders.
Respondent’s Remedial Efforts
18. In determining to accept the Offer, the Commission considered certain remedial
acts undertaken by Respondent and cooperation afforded to Commission staff.
IV.
In view of the foregoing, the Commission deems it appropriate to impose the sanctions
agreed to in Respondent’s Offer.
Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that:
A. Pursuant to Section 21C of the Exchange Act, Respondent Legacy cease and desist
from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 13(a) and 16(a) of
the Exchange Act and Rules 13a-1 and 16a-3 promulgated thereunder.
B. Respondent shall, within 14 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money
penalty in the amount of $200,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission, for transfer to
the general fund of the United States Treasury, subject to Exchange Act Section 21F(g)(3). If
timely payment is not made, additional interest shall accrue pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3717.
Payment must be made in one of the following ways:
(1) Respondent may transmit payment electronically to the Commission, which will
provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon request;
(2) Respondent may make direct payment from a bank account via Pay.gov through
the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm; or
(3) Respondent may pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United States
postal money order, made payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission and hand-
delivered or mailed to:
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Enterprise Services Center
Accounts Receivable Branch
HQ Bldg., Room 181, AMZ-341
6500 South MacArthur Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73169
Payments by check or money order must be accompanied by a cover letter identifying
Legacy Housing Corporation as a Respondent in these proceedings, and the file number of these
proceedings; a copy of the cover letter and check or money order must be sent to Thomas Smith,
Associate Regional Director, Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission,
100 Pearl Street, Suite 20-100, New York, NY 10004.
C. Amounts ordered to be paid as civil money penalties pursuant to this Order shall
be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To
preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Respondent agrees that in any Related Investor
Action, it shall not argue that it is entitled to, nor shall it benefit by, offset or reduction of any
award of compensatory damages by the amount of any part of Respondent’s payment of a civil
penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such
a Penalty Offset, Respondent agrees that it shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order
granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount
of the Penalty Offset to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such a payment shall not be
deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil
penalty imposed in this proceeding. For purposes of this paragraph, a “Related Investor Action”
means a private damages action brought against Respondent by or on behalf of one or more
investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Order instituted by the
Commission in this proceeding.
By the Commission.
Vanessa A. Countryman
Secretary
Respondent