(a) Persons liable; persons entitled to recover; defense of good faith; suit at law or in equity; costs, etc.Any person who shall make or cause to be made any statement in any application, report, or document filed pursuant to this chapter or any rule or regulation thereunder or any undertaking contained in a registration statement as provided in subsection (d) of section 78o of this title, which statement was at the time and in the light of the circumstances under which it was made false or misleading with respect to any material fact, shall be liable to any person (not knowing that such statement was false or misleading) who, in reliance upon such statement, shall have purchased or sold a security at a price which was affected by such statement, for damages caused by such reliance, unless the person sued shall prove that he acted in good faith and had no knowledge that such statement was false or misleading. A person seeking to enforce such liability may sue at law or in equity in any court of competent jurisdiction. In any such suit the court may, in its discretion, require an undertaking for the payment of the costs of such suit, and assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against either party litigant.
(b) ContributionEvery person who becomes liable to make payment under this section may recover contribution as in cases of contract from any person who, if joined in the original suit, would have been liable to make the same payment.
(c) Period of limitationsNo action shall be maintained to enforce any liability created under this section unless brought within one year after the discovery of the facts constituting the cause of action and within three years after such cause of action accrued.
Structure US Code
CHAPTER 2B— SECURITIES EXCHANGES
§ 78b. Necessity for regulation
§ 78c. Definitions and application
§ 78c–2. Securities-related derivatives
§ 78c–3. Clearing for security-based swaps
§ 78c–4. Security-based swap execution facilities
§ 78c–5. Segregation of assets held as collateral in security-based swap transactions
§ 78d. Securities and Exchange Commission
§ 78d–1. Delegation of functions by Commission
§ 78d–2. Transfer of functions with respect to assignment of personnel to chairman
§ 78d–3. Appearance and practice before the Commission
§ 78d–4. Additional duties of Inspector General
§ 78d–6. Report and certification of internal supervisory controls
§ 78d–7. Triennial report on personnel management
§ 78d–8. Annual financial controls audit
§ 78d–9. Report on oversight of national securities associations
§ 78e. Transactions on unregistered exchanges
§ 78f. National securities exchanges
§ 78h. Restrictions on borrowing and lending by members, brokers, and dealers
§ 78i. Manipulation of security prices
§ 78j. Manipulative and deceptive devices
§ 78j–3. Compensation committees
§ 78j–4. Recovery of erroneously awarded compensation policy
§ 78k. Trading by members of exchanges, brokers, and dealers
§ 78k–1. National market system for securities; securities information processors
§ 78l. Registration requirements for securities
§ 78l–1. Applications for unlisted trading privileges deemed filed under
§ 78m. Periodical and other reports
§ 78m–1. Reporting and recordkeeping for certain security-based swaps
§ 78m–2. Reporting requirements regarding coal or other mine safety
§ 78n–1. Shareholder approval of executive compensation
§ 78o. Registration and regulation of brokers and dealers
§ 78o–1. Brokers deemed to be registered
§ 78o–2. Liabilities arising prior to amendment unaffected
§ 78o–3. Registered securities associations
§ 78o–4a. Commission Office of Municipal Securities
§ 78o–5. Government securities brokers and dealers
§ 78o–6. Securities analysts and research reports
§ 78o–7. Registration of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations
§ 78o–8. Universal ratings symbols
§ 78o–9. Study and rulemaking on assigned credit ratings
§ 78o–11. Credit risk retention
§ 78p. Directors, officers, and principal stockholders
§ 78q–1. National system for clearance and settlement of securities transactions
§ 78q–2. Automated quotation systems for penny stocks
§ 78r. Liability for misleading statements
§ 78s. Registration, responsibilities, and oversight of self-regulatory organizations
§ 78t. Liability of controlling persons and persons who aid and abet violations
§ 78t–1. Liability to contemporaneous traders for insider trading
§ 78u. Investigations and actions
§ 78u–1. Civil penalties for insider trading
§ 78u–2. Civil remedies in administrative proceedings
§ 78u–3. Cease-and-desist proceedings
§ 78u–4. Private securities litigation
§ 78u–5. Application of safe harbor for forward-looking statements
§ 78u–6. Securities whistleblower incentives and protection
§ 78u–7. Implementation and transition provisions for whistleblower protection
§ 78w. Rules, regulations, and orders; annual reports
§ 78x. Public availability of information
§ 78y. Court review of orders and rules
§ 78z. Unlawful representations
§ 78aa. Jurisdiction of offenses and suits
§ 78aa–1. Special provision relating to statute of limitations on private causes of action
§ 78bb. Effect on existing law
§ 78dd. Foreign securities exchanges
§ 78dd–1. Prohibited foreign trade practices by issuers
§ 78dd–2. Prohibited foreign trade practices by domestic concerns
§ 78dd–3. Prohibited foreign trade practices by persons other than issuers or domestic concerns
§ 78hh–1. Effective date of certain sections
§ 78kk. Authorization of appropriations
§ 78ll. Requirements for the EDGAR system
§ 78mm. General exemptive authority
§ 78nn. Tennessee Valley Authority
§ 78pp. Investor Advisory Committee