Compass Minerals $12M SEC Enforcement Action Fair Fund

William C. Gendron

Editor in Chief

Published

April 27, 2026 11:03 AM

Updated

April 27, 2026

Who can file a claim?

The fair fund includes all persons and entities, or their lawful successors, who purchased or acquired Compass Minerals common stock from March 2, 2017, through Oct. 23, 2018, inclusive, and suffered a recognized loss as calculated under the plan of allocation.

Additional details

Both individuals and entities can be eligible claimants.
Lawful successors who obtained shares may submit claims.
Custodians, trustees and professionals investing on behalf of pooled investors may submit claims and must allocate any distribution received to the benefit of current or former pooled investors.

How much can claimants get?

The total fair fund is $12,000,000. The amount each claimant receives depends on several factors:

The number of valid claims submitted
The timing and amount of each claimant's purchases, acquisitions and sales of Compass common stock
The total recognized losses of all claimants

The fund administrator will calculate each claimant's recognized loss per share according to the SEC-approved plan of allocation:

For shares sold prior to Feb. 14, 2018, the recognized loss is $0.
For shares sold on or after Feb. 14, 2018, and before the close of trading on Oct. 23, 2018, the recognized loss is the lesser of the inflation per share on the purchase date minus the inflation per share on the sale date or the purchase price minus the sale price.
For shares sold during the lookback period (after the close of trading on Oct. 23, 2018, and prior to the close of trading on Jan. 18, 2019), the recognized loss is the least of the inflation per share on the purchase date, the purchase price minus the sale price or the purchase price minus the moving average closing price on the sale date.
For shares held as of the close of trading on Jan. 18, 2019, the recognized loss is the lesser of the inflation per share on the purchase date or the purchase price minus $46.91 (the average closing price during the lookback period).
The fund administrator will use first-in, first-out matching and set any recognized loss that calculates to a negative number to $0.
If total recognized losses exceed the fair fund, the fund administrator will reduce payments on a pro rata basis.
Claimants whose distribution amount calculates to less than $10 will not receive a payout.

How to claim a Compass Minerals fair fund payment

Claimants may file a claim online or download, print and complete the PDF claim form and mail it to the fund administrator. The claim deadline is July 12, 2026.

Fund administrator's mailing address: Compass Minerals Fair Fund, Fund Administrator, P.O. Box 25225, Santa Ana, CA 92799

Proof or documentation required to submit a claim

U.S. claimants must provide their full Social Security number or taxpayer identification number and a completed IRS Form W-9. Non-U.S. claimants must submit IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or another W-8 series form. All claimants must also provide holdings and transaction information, including:

Number of shares held as of the beginning of trading on March 2, 2017
Trade dates for purchases, acquisitions and sales between March 2, 2017, and Jan. 18, 2019
Number of shares purchased, acquired or sold
Total purchase, sale or acquisition price
Number of shares held as of the close of trading on Jan. 18, 2019

Claimants must also provide documentation supporting their transactions and holdings in Compass common stock. Acceptable proof includes:

Broker confirmation slips
Broker account statements
Authorized statements from a broker, financial advisor or financial institution containing the transactional information found in a confirmation slip

Important date

Deadline to file a claim: July 12, 2026

When is the Compass Minerals fair fund payout date?

The fund administrator will issue payments to eligible claimants after it processes all claims in accordance with the SEC-approved plan of distribution.

Why did this SEC enforcement action happen?

The SEC found that Compass Minerals made repeated misrepresentations between 2017 and 2018 about its cost reduction plans and production levels at the Goderich salt mine in Canada, failed to adequately disclose environmental issues at a subsidiary facility in Brazil and filed financial statements that did not comply with generally accepted accounting principles.

The SEC ordered Compass Minerals to pay a $12 million civil penalty and established the fair fund to distribute the penalty to harmed investors.