US SEC hits 7 public companies with penalties for whistleblower protection violations Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Seven public companies have agreed to pay a total of $3 million to settle charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they violated whistleblower protections, the regulator said on Monday.

TransUnion (NYSE: ) agreed to pay $312,000 and Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ: ) company will pay $1.39 million in settlements disclosed Monday by the SEC.

Each firm was charged in connection with employment, separation or other arrangements that violated a rule that prohibits any actions that prevent individuals from communicating directly with regulators about possible violations of securities laws, the SEC said in its statement.

All worked toward remediation, including amending the agreements in question, the SEC said.

The other penalties were as follows: * alias Brands Holding Corp. agreed to pay a civil penalty of $399,750 * AppFolio Inc. (NASDAQ: ) agreed to pay a civil penalty of $692,250 * IDEX (NYSE:) Corporation agreed to pay a civil penalty of $75,000 * LSB Industries agreed to pay a civil penalty of $156,000 * Smart for Life Inc. agreed to pay a civil penalty of $19,500