Legal Liability of CPAs

Chapter 4

Primary Sources of CPA Liability

• Breach of Contract
• Negligence
• Ordinary
• Gross
• Fraud
• Statutory
• Securities Act of 1933
• Securities Exchange Act of 1934
• Other—Criminal and RICO

Elements of Proof by Client Under Common Law

• Duty—CPAs accepted a duty of due professional care
• Breach of duty—CPAs breached that duty
• Losses—Suffered by plaintiff
• Causation (proximate cause)—Losses were caused by CPAs’ performance

Approaches to Auditor Common Law Liability to Third Parties

Ultramares Approach to Auditor Liability

Selected Cases

Ultramares Corporation v. Touche (1931)--A landmark case under common law in that it established that auditors could be held liable to third-party beneficiaries for ordinary negligence and to other third parties for gross negligence.

Credit Alliance Corp. v. Arthur Andersen & Co. (1985)--A common-law decision establishing that auditors must demonstrate knowledge of reliance on the financial statements by a third party for a particular purpose to be held liable for ordinary negligence to that party.

Observation

Auditors must have been aware that the financial statements were to be used for a particular purpose by a known third party to be liable to that party for ordinary negligence.

Restatement of Torts Approach to Auditor Liability

Selected Case

Rusch Factors, Inc. v. Levin (1986)--A common-law decision in which the auditors were found liable for ordinary negligence to a third party not specifically identified to the auditors, although the auditors were aware of the intended use of the financial statements.

Observation

To be held liable for ordinary negligence, the auditors must have been aware that the financial statements were to be used for a particular purpose, although the identity of the third party need not necessarily be known.

Rosenblum Approach to Auditor Liability

Selected Case

Rosenblum v. Adler (1983)--Established that the auditors could be held liable for ordinary negligence to all third parties that the CPAs could reasonably foresee as users of the financial statements for routine business purposes.

Observation

Opens the door to liability for ordinary negligence to virtually all third parties who rely on the financial statements.

Common Law Liability to
Third Parties

Approach

• Ultramares

• Restatement of Torts

• Rosenblum

Parties That May Recover for Ordinary Negligence

• Third party beneficiary

• Limited class of known or intended users

• Any third party the auditors could reasonably foresee as user

Liability Under the Securities Laws

Selected Court Cases Establishing Precedents Under Statutory Law

Civil Liability Under the Securities Act of 1933

Escott et al. v. Bar Chris Construction Corp. et al. (1968)--The first significant case brought under the Securities Act of 1933. The auditors were unable to establish their due diligence, especially with respect to the S-1 review for subsequent events up to the effective date of the registration statement.

Civil Liability Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Ernst and Ernst v. Hochfelder et al. (1977)--Established that the auditors could not be held liable under Rule 10b-5 of the Act for ordinary negligence. The U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the auditors’ knowledge of the fraud must be proved before damages can be recovered under this provision of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Criminal Liability

Selected Case

United States v. Simon (Continental Vending) (1969)--A highly publicized case in which auditors were held criminally liable for gross negligence. Two audit partners and a manager were convicted of filing false statements with a government agency, mail fraud, and violating Section 32 (a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This case also was largely responsible for the development of required disclosure of related party transactions (originally issued as SAS No. 6, and now contained in FASB Statement No. 57).

United States v. Arthur Andersen (2002)—Arthur Andersen was accused of the wholesale destruction of documents relating to the Enron Corporation collapse. The jury found, based primarily on an email message that an Arthur Andersen attorney advised a partner to revise a memo to omit certain information, including a comment that an Enron press release that included an earnings announcement was misleading. Loss of this case effectively put Arthur Andersen out of business. The conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court

Liability for “Unaudited” Financial Statements

Selected Case

1136 Tenants Corporation v. Max Rothenberg and Company (1971)--A landmark case for accountants’ liability when they are associated with unaudited financial statements. The case demonstrated the importance of engagement letters to clearly establish an understanding with the client regarding the nature of the services to be provided. It also illustrated the need to follow up on unusual findings even when the CPAs are not performing audits.

Legal Liability--A Summary—
Common Law

Plaintiff

• Client

• Third-party beneficiary

• Limited class of foreseen parties

• Other third parties

Plaintiff Must Prove

• Loss, Auditor negligence, Reliance, & Proximate cause

• Loss, Auditor negligence, Reliance, & Proximate cause

• Loss, Auditor negligence or gross negligence (depending upon the theory used by the court), Reliance, & Proximate cause

• Same as above

Preventing Litigation

• Place emphasis within the firm on complying with GAAS and professional ethics
• Retain legal counsel that is familiar with CPA’s legal liability
• Maintain adequate professional liability insurance
• Investigate prospective clients thoroughly
• Obtain a thorough knowledge of the client’s business
• Use engagement letters to prevent misunderstandings with clients
• Carefully assess the risk of errors and irregularities, including those indicated by weaknesses in internal control
• Exercise extreme care in audits of clients that have a high degree of business risk, as indicated by such factors as financial difficulties
• Carefully prepare and review working papers

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