Frequently Asked Questions
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1. | What was this case about? |
On June 5, 2015, the SEC issued an Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 4C and 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 102(e) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a Cease-and-Desist Order (the “Order”) finding that Computer Sciences Corporation (“CSC”), Michael Laphen (“Laphen”), Michael Mancuso (“Mancuso”), Wayne Banks (“Banks”), Claus Zilmer, and Paul Wakefield (collectively, the “Respondents”) violated the federal securities laws1. The Order stated that from 2009 to 2011, CSC engaged in a wide-ranging accounting and disclosure fraud that materially overstated its earnings and concealed from investors significant problems with its largest contract. Former CEO Laphen approved CSC’s use of improper accounting models for the company’s multi-billion dollar contract with the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (“NHS”). Laphen and former CFO Mancuso also failed to make required disclosures and made misleading statements to investors about the NHS contract. And in one quarter, CSC’s former Finance Director for the NHS account prepared a fraudulent accounting model in which he included made-up assumptions to avoid a negative hit to CSC’s earnings. As this was occurring in the United States and the United Kingdom, senior CSC finance personnel in Australia fraudulently overstated the company’s earnings using “cookie jar” reserves and by failing to record expenses as required. Separately, CSC finance personnel in Denmark engaged in a variety of fraudulent accounting manipulations that also overstated the company’s earnings. Throughout this period, CSC’s most senior executives and various finance personnel repeatedly failed to comply with straightforward accounting standards and disclosure rules. Pursuant to the Order, CSC paid a civil money penalty of $190,000,000; Laphen paid a civil money penalty of $750,000; Mancuso paid a civil money penalty of $175,000; and Banks paid disgorgement of $10,990 and prejudgment interest of $2,400. The Order also created the Computer Sciences Fair Fund pursuant to Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, for the distribution to harmed investors.
Additionally, in two related district court actions, defendant William Sutcliffe was ordered to pay disgorgement of $6,003.33 and prejudgment interest of $1,060.622 and Edward Parker was ordered to pay disgorgement of $2,800 and prejudgment interest of $7503. These payments were paid to the Commission and transferred into the Computer Sciences Fair Fund. In total, $190,948,983.95 was paid into the Computer Sciences Fair Fund.
On June 22, 2016, the Commission appointed GCG to serve as the Fund Administrator to assist in developing a Distribution Plan of the Computer Sciences Fair Fund pursuant to which monies in the Computer Sciences Fair Fund will be distributed to investors harmed by the violations alleged in the Order. The Fund Administrator is authorized to oversee the administration of claims and the distribution of the Computer Sciences Fair Fund pursuant to the terms of the Distribution Plan, which can be found at the administration website, subject to the approval of the Commission.
The Computer Sciences Fair Fund is separate and independent from the settlement funds previously established in the Computer Sciences Class Action. However, the Computer Sciences Fair Fund relates to allegations similar to those asserted in the Computer Sciences Class Action during the same time period at issue in the Computer Sciences Class Action – i.e., from August 5, 2008 through December 27, 2011, inclusive. Therefore, if you submitted a proof of claim form to participate in the Computer Sciences Class Action and that claim was approved, you do not need to submit another Proof of Claim Form for your Approved Transactions in order to participate in the Computer Sciences Fair Fund. If you had purchases of Computer Sciences common stock during the Relevant Period (i.e., the period August 5, 2008 through December 27, 2011) in addition to your Approved Transactions, you must submit a Proof of Claim Form in order to recover for those purchases from the Computer Sciences Fair Fund.
1 See Securities Act Rel. No. 9804 (June 5, 2015).
2 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Wilfred Sutcliffe, No. 15-cf-4340 (RJS) (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 9, 2015).
3 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Edward Parker, No. 15-cf-4341 (ER) (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 9, 2015).
2. | Why did I receive a Notice? |
You received a Notice because records indicate you may have purchased or acquired Computer Sciences Corporation common stock between August 5, 2008 and December 27, 2011, inclusive. The notice you received is designed to notify you of the settlement reached and to inform you that you may be eligible to receive payment from the Computer Sciences Fair Fund.
3. | Who is eligible to participate in the Fair Fund? |
To qualify for a payment from the Computer Sciences Fair Fund, you must satisfy certain eligibility criteria that are described in detail in the Distribution Plan and the Plan of Allocation, attached to the Distribution Plan as Exhibit A. Those criteria include the following:
.- You must have purchased or acquired Computer Sciences Corporation common stock between August 5, 2008 and the close of trading at 4:00 p.m. EDT on December 27, 2011, inclusive, as described in the Plan of Allocation.
- Your approved transactions must calculate to a Total Eligible Loss Amount and your Distribution Payment must equal or exceed $10.00
4. | Who is excluded from participating in the Fair Fund? |
You are excluded from participation in the Computer Sciences Fair Fund if you are:
- A Respondent in this action;
- A member of the immediate family (spouse or children) of any Respondent;
- A person who was an officer or director of Computer Sciences Corporation during the Relevant Period;
- A firm, trust, corporation, officer, or other entity in which any Respondent has or had controlling interest; or
- Computer Sciences Corporation’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance carriers, and any affiliates of subsidiaries thereof.
6. | What do I need to do to participate in the Fair Fund? |
If you submitted a Proof of Claim Form in the settlement of the related securities class action, entitled, In re Computer Sciences Corporation Securities Litigation and your claim was approved, you are automatically deemed an Eligible Claimant with respect to those transactions that were approved and you do not need to submit a Proof of Claim Form for those previously approved transactions.
If you submitted a claim in connection with the Class Action that was determined to be deficient and failed to cure the deficiencies, you must provide the required information and/or documentation to cure the deficiencies in your Class Action Claim. Please do not re-submit the same Proof of Claim Form and documentation previously submitted.
If you did not submit a claim in the Class Action or you wish to file a claim for additional transactions not included in your Class Action claim, you must complete and sign the Proof of Claim form and submit it, along with appropriate documentation, to the Fund Administrator so that it is received no later than September 11, 2017 at the address listed below in order to be eligible to recover from the Computer Sciences Corporation Fair Fund:
Computer Sciences Corporation c/o GCG P.O. Box 10191 Dublin, Ohio 43017-3191
7. | What do I need to submit with my Proof of Claim Form? |
You must document each transaction that you include on your claim form. Acceptable forms of supporting documentation include:
- Trade confirmation slips from brokerage firms that list the security name, the name of the beneficial owner, the type of transaction, the date of the transaction, the number of share, and the total amount of the transaction; or
- Monthly statements from brokerage firms that detail all activity within a month.
8. | What is the deadline for submitting my Proof of Claim Form? |
The deadline to submit a completed and signed Proof of Claim with the necessary documentation is September 11, 2017 (the “Claims Bar Date”). It must be received by this date.
9. | How will I know when the Proof of Claim Form I submit has been received by the Distribution Agent? |
The Fund Administrator will acknowledge receipt of your Claim Form by regular or electronic mail within 60 days receipt. Your claim is not deemed filed until you receive an acknowledgment postcard or e-mail. If you do not receive an acknowledgment postcard or e-mail within 45 days, please call the Fund Administrator toll free at 1-877-302-1075.
10. | Will I be notified if my Proof of Claim form is deficient? |
Yes. If your Proof of Claim form is deficient, you will receive a Claim Deficiency Notice setting forth the reason why the claim is deficient and advising you of the opportunity to cure such deficiency.
11. | Can a financial institution that served as an advisor to numerous clients file Proof of Claim forms on their behalf? Can we group all our clients together using this method? |
Yes, you may file on behalf of all your clients, provided you are authorized to do so and provide us that that valid written authorization. If you would like to file these claims together, you should file your claims electronically.
Please Note: Claims with 100 or more transactions or on behalf of 20 or more different account must be submitted electronically and in the required format. You can obtain the mandatory electronic filing requirements and file layout on this website or you may e-mail the Fund Administrator at eClaim@gcg.com. Any submission not in accordance with the required electronic filing format may be rejected. Proof of authority to submit a Proof of Claim form on behalf of any managed accounts must be submitted with any Proofs of Claim for such accounts. If you intend to file electronically, you can submit and track the history of your claims by using our secure website, GCG ICETM, which is available 24/7. GCG ICETM allows institutional investors to upload electronic claims and documents, track the history and status of submissions, view claim rejections and how to fix them, update contact information, and receive important status alerts via e-mail.
12. | How much money will I receive if my claim is approved? |
Until all claims have been fully processed, it is not possible to determine the amount of any individual payment because the amount will depend on a variety of factors, including the number of valid claims processed, the amount of Computer Sciences Corporation common stock that you purchased, and when you purchased and sold these shares. In addition, in order for a claim to be paid, it must equal or exceed the Minimum Payment Amount of $10.00.
13. | Who is the Distribution Agent? |
The Court has appointed Garden City Group, LLC to serve as the Fund Administrator.
14. | Where can I obtain a Plan of Distribution Notice and Proof of Claim form? |
You can obtain a Distribution Plan Notice and Proof of Claim form by either downloading these documents from this website by clicking on the tabs to the left, or we can mail you these documents if you write to us at:
Computer Sciences Fair Fund c/o Garden City Group, LLC Fund Administrator PO Box 10191 Dublin, OH 43017-3191
and request that a Notice and Proof of Claim Form be mailed to you.
15. | How do I get more information? |
Additional information regarding the Computer Sciences Corporation Fair Fund can be found on this website. You can obtain additional information or request copies of forms and notices by calling the Computer Sciences Corporation Fair Fund’s toll-free hotline at 877-302-1075 in the United States, or by email at Questions@ComputerSciencesFairFund.com.
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Important Dates
September 11, 2017
Claim Submission Deadline -
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