In re Avery More
Avery More, a director of SolarEdge Technologies since 2006, violated Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act by failing to timely file Form 4 and Form 5 reports for over $26 million in stock transactions between 2018 and 2021, resulting in a $66,000 civil penalty and a cease-and-desist order from the SEC.
Avery More, a director of SolarEdge Technologies, Inc., failed to timely file multiple Form 4 reports for open-market sales and restricted stock grants totaling approximately $26 million between 2018 and 2021, and did not file any Form 5 reports for fiscal years 2018–2020. Despite relying on SolarEdge and his broker to file on his behalf, More remained legally responsible under Section 16(a), which imposes strict liability regardless of intent or reliance on third parties. The SEC imposed a $66,000 civil penalty and a cease-and-desist order, which More consented to without admitting or denying the findings.
Avery More, who has served as a director of SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. since 2006, violated Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act by failing to timely file Form 4 reports for multiple transactions in SolarEdge stock between 2018 and 2021, including approximately $26 million in open-market sales and restricted stock grants. He also failed to file Form 5 reports for fiscal years 2018–2020, which are required to report any unreported transactions or eligible deferred transactions at year-end. Although More relied on SolarEdge and his broker to handle filings, the SEC emphasized that Section 16(a) imposes strict liability on insiders, meaning intent, negligence, or third-party reliance are irrelevant to liability. More cooperated with the investigation and took remedial steps, but the SEC found his oversight inadequate. Without admitting or denying the findings, More consented to a cease-and-desist order and agreed to pay a $66,000 civil penalty, due within 14 days, with no offset permitted in related investor litigation. The order underscores the SEC’s enforcement of prompt, electronic reporting under Sarbanes-Oxley and confirms that such penalties are non-dischargeable in bankruptcy under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(19).
Extracted insights
- $26.00M $26 million $10M–$100M
- $66K $66,000 $10K–$100K
- company delaware corporation
- company director of solaredge technologies, inc.
- company solaredge technologies, inc.
- Commission deems it appropriate that cease-and-desist proceedings be instituted
- Respondent submitted Offer of Settlement
- Commission has determined to accept Offer of Settlement
- Respondent consents to entry of this Order
- Respondent violated Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
- More has served as director of SolarEdge Technologies, Inc.
- SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. is Delaware corporation
- SolarEdge’s common stock is registered with the Commission
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Before the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Release No. 98543 / September 27, 2023
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-21729
In the Matter of
Avery More,
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 Avery More (“More” 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, and except as provided herein in Section V,
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 beneficial ownership reporting
requirements of the federal securities laws. Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules
promulgated thereunder require officers and directors of a company with a registered class of equity
security, and any beneficial owners of greater than 10% of such class, 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.
2. While subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act as
a director of SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (“SolarEdge”), Respondent violated Section 16(a) on
multiple occasions by failing to timely file reports of transactions in SolarEdge’s securities.
Respondent
3. More, age 68, has served as director of SolarEdge since 2006. More is and has been
at all relevant times a director of SolarEdge subject to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.
Issuer
4. SolarEdge is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Israel.
SolarEdge’s common stock is and has been since 2015 registered with the Commission under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act and trades on the NASDAQ stock market (ticker: SEDG).
Applicable Legal Framework
5. Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder apply to
every person who is the beneficial owner of more than 10% of any class of any equity security
registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and any officer or director of the issuer of
any such security ( collectively, “insiders”).
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
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 (as applicable) 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).
7. Although 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,” Section 16 places the responsibility to report changes in securities ownership on
insiders.
2
8. There is no state of mind requirement for violations of Section 16(a) and the rules
thereunder.
3
The failure to timely file a required report, even if inadvertent, constitutes a
violation.
4
Respondent Failed to File Required Section 16(a) Reports on a Timely Basis
2
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).
3
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. SEC v. Savoy Indus., Inc., 587 F.2d 1149, 1167
(D.C. Cir. 1978) (“Indeed, the plain language of section 13(d)(1) gives no hint that intentional conduct need be
found, but rather, appears to place a simple and affirmative duty of reporting on certain persons. The legislative
history confirms that Congress was concerned with providing disclosure to investors, and not merely with protecting
them from fraudulent conduct”).
4
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”); Herbert Moskowitz, 77 SEC Docket 446, 2002 WL 434524, at *7 (Mar. 21, 2002) (Commission opinion)
(“evidence of both motive for non-disclosure and actual market impact ... is irrelevant” to whether violations of Section
13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rules 13d-1 and 13d-2 thereunder occurred); see generally 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).
4
9. As a director of SolarEdge, Respondent has been subject to the reporting
requirements of Exchange Act Section 16(a) since SolarEdge became a reporting issuer in 2015
and remains subject to those requirements. Respondent timely filed an initial statement of
beneficial ownership on Form 3 on March 25, 2015.
10. Subsequently, Respondent failed to file on a timely basis multiple required Section
16(a) reports with the Commission, including to report transactions executed on the following dates
that were required to be reported on Form 4 within two business days:
Form Type Date of Trans. Due Date Date Filed
4 2/22/18 2/26/18 2/28/18
4 5/15/18 5/17/18 9/1/22
4 5/16/18 5/18/18 9/1/22
4 5/23/18 5/25/18 9/1/22
4 5/13/19 5/15/19 5/17/19
4 6/5/19 6/7/19 7/8/19
4 8/9/19 8/13/19 9/1/22
4 8/27/19 8/29/19 9/1/22
4 12/2/19 12/4/19 12/6/19
4 12/4/19 12/6/19 3/24/20
4 12/11/19 12/13/19 3/24/20
4 2/23/20 2/25/20 3/24/20
4 2/24/20 2/26/20 3/24/20
4 3/3/20 3/5/20 3/24/20
4 3/4/20 3/6/20 3/24/20
4 5/18/20 5/20/20 6/18/20
4 12/11/20 12/15/20 9/1/22
4 2/18/21 2/22/21 2/24/21
11. Respondent’s late-reported transactions from February 2018 through February 2021
primarily involved open-market sales of SolarEdge stocks with a total of approximately $26 million
in market value. Respondent’s late-reported transactions also included transactions related to
restricted stock grants he was awarded by the company. Approximately half of Respondent’s
transactions between 2018 and 2021 were reported one or more days late. Respondent also failed
5
to file a required Form 5 to report transactions that should have been reported on Forms 4 during
SolarEdge’s fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020 but were not.
12. As a result of the conduct described above, Respondent violated Section 16(a) of
the Exchange Act and Rule 16a-3 thereunder.
Respondent’s Remedial Efforts
13. Respondent has represented that certain of his delinquent filings resulted from the
failure of SolarEdge to make timely filings on his behalf and the failure of his broker to timely
notify SolarEdge of certain transactions. Respondent’s reliance on SolarEdge and his broker
does not excuse his violations because an insider retains legal responsibility for compliance with
the filing requirements, including the obligation to assure that the filing is timely and accurately
made.
5
In addition, here, SolarEdge made disclosures in its annual proxy statements filed in
2018 through 2022 relating to Section 16(a) compliance by its insiders during fiscal years 2017
through 2021 that named Respondent and other insiders as having late-filed reports and cited that
they were “due to administrative errors and due to the fact that the Company’s headquarters in Israel
work Sundays through Thursdays” as causes of Respondent’s late reports. Respondent took
inadequate and ineffective steps to monitor whether his broker was providing timely notice to
SolarEdge and whether timely and accurate filings were made on his behalf by SolarEdge.
14. In determining to accept Respondent’s Offer, the Commission considered certain
remedial acts undertaken by Respondent, circumstances relating to Respondent’s representations
as to reliance, 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 cease and desist from
committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 16(a) of the Exchange
Act and Rule 16a-3 promulgated thereunder.
5
See SEC Release No. 34-47809, 68 Fed. Reg. at 25789 (“[A]n insider is legally responsible for filing
regardless of who submits a filing on the insider’s behalf.”); Ownership Reports and Trading by Officers, Directors
and Principal Security Holders, SEC Release 34-37260 (May 31, 1996), 61 Fed. Reg. 30376, 30386 (June 14, 1996)
(“Each beneficial owner [making a joint or group filing] will retain individual liability for compliance with the filing
requirements, including the obligation to assure that the filing is timely and accurately made.”); see also Bettina
Bancroft, 53 SEC Docket 1955, 1993 WL 81744, at *3 (Mar. 23, 1993) (settled order) (“Although the Commission
encourages individuals to obtain professional assistance in meeting their filing obligations, Section 16 of the Exchange
Act places the responsibility to report changes in securities ownership on insiders.”).
6
B. Respondent shall, within 14 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money
penalty in the amount of $66,000 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:
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
Avery More 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, he shall not argue that he is entitled to, nor shall he 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 he 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.
7
V.
It is further Ordered that, solely for purposes of exceptions to discharge set forth in
Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 523, the findings in this Order are true and
admitted by Respondent, and further, any debt for disgorgement, prejudgment interest, civil
penalty or other amounts due by Respondent under this Order or any other judgment, order,
consent order, decree or settlement agreement entered in connection with this proceeding, is a
debt for the violation by Respondent of the federal securities laws or any regulation or order
issued under such laws, as set forth in Section 523(a)(19) of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C.
§ 523(a)(19).
By the Commission.
Vanessa A. Countryman
Secretary UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Before the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Release No. 98543 / September 27, 2023
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-21729
In the Matter of
Avery More,
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 Avery More (“More” 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, and except as provided herein in Section V,
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 beneficial ownership reporting
requirements of the federal securities laws. Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules
promulgated thereunder require officers and directors of a company with a registered class of equity
security, and any beneficial owners of greater than 10% of such class, 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.
2. While subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act as
a director of SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (“SolarEdge”), Respondent violated Section 16(a) on
multiple occasions by failing to timely file reports of transactions in SolarEdge’s securities.
Respondent
3. More, age 68, has served as director of SolarEdge since 2006. More is and has been
at all relevant times a director of SolarEdge subject to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.
Issuer
4. SolarEdge is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Israel.
SolarEdge’s common stock is and has been since 2015 registered with the Commission under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act and trades on the NASDAQ stock market (ticker: SEDG).
Applicable Legal Framework
5. Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules promulgated thereunder apply to
every person who is the beneficial owner of more than 10% of any class of any equity security
registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and any officer or director of the issuer of
any such security (collectively, “insiders”).
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
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 (as applicable) 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).
7. Although 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,” Section 16 places the responsibility to report changes in securities ownership on
insiders.2
8. There is no state of mind requirement for violations of Section 16(a) and the rules
thereunder.3 The failure to timely file a required report, even if inadvertent, constitutes a
violation.4
Respondent Failed to File Required Section 16(a) Reports on a Timely Basis
2 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).
3 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. SEC v. Savoy Indus., Inc., 587 F.2d 1149, 1167
(D.C. Cir. 1978) (“Indeed, the plain language of section 13(d)(1) gives no hint that intentional conduct need be
found, but rather, appears to place a simple and affirmative duty of reporting on certain persons. The legislative
history confirms that Congress was concerned with providing disclosure to investors, and not merely with protecting
them from fraudulent conduct”).
4 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”); Herbert Moskowitz, 77 SEC Docket 446, 2002 WL 434524, at *7 (Mar. 21, 2002) (Commission opinion)
(“evidence of both motive for non-disclosure and actual market impact … is irrelevant” to whether violations of Section
13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rules 13d-1 and 13d-2 thereunder occurred); see generally 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).
4
9. As a director of SolarEdge, Respondent has been subject to the reporting
requirements of Exchange Act Section 16(a) since SolarEdge became a reporting issuer in 2015
and remains subject to those requirements. Respondent timely filed an initial statement of
beneficial ownership on Form 3 on March 25, 2015.
10. Subsequently, Respondent failed to file on a timely basis multiple required Section
16(a) reports with the Commission, including to report transactions executed on the following dates
that were required to be reported on Form 4 within two business days:
Form Type Date of Trans. Due Date Date Filed
4 2/22/18 2/26/18 2/28/18
4 5/15/18 5/17/18 9/1/22
4 5/16/18 5/18/18 9/1/22
4 5/23/18 5/25/18 9/1/22
4 5/13/19 5/15/19 5/17/19
4 6/5/19 6/7/19 7/8/19
4 8/9/19 8/13/19 9/1/22
4 8/27/19 8/29/19 9/1/22
4 12/2/19 12/4/19 12/6/19
4 12/4/19 12/6/19 3/24/20
4 12/11/19 12/13/19 3/24/20
4 2/23/20 2/25/20 3/24/20
4 2/24/20 2/26/20 3/24/20
4 3/3/20 3/5/20 3/24/20
4 3/4/20 3/6/20 3/24/20
4 5/18/20 5/20/20 6/18/20
4 12/11/20 12/15/20 9/1/22
4 2/18/21 2/22/21 2/24/21
11. Respondent’s late-reported transactions from February 2018 through February 2021
primarily involved open-market sales of SolarEdge stocks with a total of approximately $26 million
in market value. Respondent’s late-reported transactions also included transactions related to
restricted stock grants he was awarded by the company. Approximately half of Respondent’s
transactions between 2018 and 2021 were reported one or more days late. Respondent also failed
5
to file a required Form 5 to report transactions that should have been reported on Forms 4 during
SolarEdge’s fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020 but were not.
12. As a result of the conduct described above, Respondent violated Section 16(a) of
the Exchange Act and Rule 16a-3 thereunder.
Respondent’s Remedial Efforts
13. Respondent has represented that certain of his delinquent filings resulted from the
failure of SolarEdge to make timely filings on his behalf and the failure of his broker to timely
notify SolarEdge of certain transactions. Respondent’s reliance on SolarEdge and his broker
does not excuse his violations because an insider retains legal responsibility for compliance with
the filing requirements, including the obligation to assure that the filing is timely and accurately
made.5 In addition, here, SolarEdge made disclosures in its annual proxy statements filed in
2018 through 2022 relating to Section 16(a) compliance by its insiders during fiscal years 2017
through 2021 that named Respondent and other insiders as having late-filed reports and cited that
they were “due to administrative errors and due to the fact that the Company’s headquarters in Israel
work Sundays through Thursdays” as causes of Respondent’s late reports. Respondent took
inadequate and ineffective steps to monitor whether his broker was providing timely notice to
SolarEdge and whether timely and accurate filings were made on his behalf by SolarEdge.
14. In determining to accept Respondent’s Offer, the Commission considered certain
remedial acts undertaken by Respondent, circumstances relating to Respondent’s representations
as to reliance, 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 cease and desist from
committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 16(a) of the Exchange
Act and Rule 16a-3 promulgated thereunder.
5 See SEC Release No. 34-47809, 68 Fed. Reg. at 25789 (“[A]n insider is legally responsible for filing
regardless of who submits a filing on the insider’s behalf.”); Ownership Reports and Trading by Officers, Directors
and Principal Security Holders, SEC Release 34-37260 (May 31, 1996), 61 Fed. Reg. 30376, 30386 (June 14, 1996)
(“Each beneficial owner [making a joint or group filing] will retain individual liability for compliance with the filing
requirements, including the obligation to assure that the filing is timely and accurately made.”); see also Bettina
Bancroft, 53 SEC Docket 1955, 1993 WL 81744, at *3 (Mar. 23, 1993) (settled order) (“Although the Commission
encourages individuals to obtain professional assistance in meeting their filing obligations, Section 16 of the Exchange
Act places the responsibility to report changes in securities ownership on insiders.”).
6
B. Respondent shall, within 14 days of the entry of this Order, pay a civil money
penalty in the amount of $66,000 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:
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
Avery More 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, he shall not argue that he is entitled to, nor shall he 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 he 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.
7
V.
It is further Ordered that, solely for purposes of exceptions to discharge set forth in
Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 523, the findings in this Order are true and
admitted by Respondent, and further, any debt for disgorgement, prejudgment interest, civil
penalty or other amounts due by Respondent under this Order or any other judgment, order,
consent order, decree or settlement agreement entered in connection with this proceeding, is a
debt for the violation by Respondent of the federal securities laws or any regulation or order
issued under such laws, as set forth in Section 523(a)(19) of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C.
§ 523(a)(19).
By the Commission.
Vanessa A. Countryman
Secretary
Respondent