SEC charges former McDonald's CEO with misleading investors
The Securities and Exchange Commission is charging McDonald’s former CEO Stephen Easterbrook with making false and misleading statements to investors about the circumstances leading to his firing in November 2019 Former McDonald’s CEO Stephen Easterbrook has been charged by federal regulators with making false and misleading statements to investors about the circumstances of his firing by the burger giant in November 2019. Easterbrook was ousted for engaging in an inappropriate personal relationship with a McDonald’s employee in violation of company policy, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in its order Monday. But the separation agreement with McDonald's concluded that his termination was without cause, which allowed him to keep substantial compensation in McDonald's stock that he otherwise would have forfeited, the agency said. The SEC said Easterbrook's separation agreement was valued at more than $40 million. Easterbrook told the Chicago company at the tim...