Episode description

Welcome to Supreme Court Opinions. In this episode, you’ll hear the Court’s opinion in Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. v Moab Partners, L. P.

In this case, the court considered this issue: May a failure to make a disclosure required under Item 303 of SEC Regulation S-K support a private claim under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, even in the absence of an otherwise misleading statement?

The case was decided on April 12, 2024.

The Supreme Court held that pure omissions are not actionable under SEC Rule 10b–5(b), which makes it unlawful to omit material facts in connection with buying or selling securities when that omission renders “statements made” misleading. Justice Sonia Sotomayor authored the unanimous opinion of the Court.

The plain text of Rule 10b-5(b) bars only half-truths, not pure omissions. Specifically, it prohibits omitting facts necessary to make “statements made” not misleading. There must first be an affirmative statement before determining whether additional facts are needed for clarity and completeness. The Securities Act of 1933 lends further support for this understanding because it expressly creates liability for pure omissions in registration statements, while the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5(b) lack similar language. This difference suggests Congress and the SEC intentionally chose not to create liability for pure omissions under Rule 10b-5(b).

The Court rejected the argument that pure omissions are inherently misleading because investors expect full disclosure under Item 303, explaining that this interpretation would improperly shift Rule 10b-5(b)’s focus from fraud to disclosure requirements. It also dismissed concerns about creating “broad immunity” for fraudulent omissions, noting that plaintiffs can still bring claims for half-truths and the SEC retains authority to enforce disclosure rules. Rule 10b-5(b) only targets fraudulent misrepresentations and misleading statements, not the mere failure to disclose required information absent any related statements.

The opinion is presented here in its entirety, but with citations omitted. If you appreciate this episode, please subscribe. Thank you.