Alvin is the President of AZ Products, Inc. (“AZ”), a corpor…
Alvin is the President of AZ Products, Inc. (“AZ”), a corporation whose stock is publicly traded. Morgan is an AZ shareholder. One evening Morgan runs into Alvin at a party. Alvin knows Morgan is an AZ shareholder. Alvin, who has had too much to drink, tells Morgan that if she will drive him home safely, he will give her confidential information about the company. Morgan drives Alvin home and at the end of the ride, Alvin says, “Thanks for the ride. As promised, I am telling you that AZ is about to announce a huge breakthrough in our research. Do not sell your stock.” Morgan, who was thinking about selling her stock in AZ determines not to do so, based upon this information from Alvin. When AZ makes its big announcement, the AZ stock soars, and Morgan’s AZ shares are worth $100,000 more than they would have been had she sold them as she had originally intended. Would Morgan face potential liability under Rule 10b-5?