Johnson & Johnson won’t have to let its shareholders vote on a proposal that could have effectively barred investors from suing the company through class-action lawsuits.
The Securities and Exchange Commission told the company Feb. 11 that it can exclude the proposal from its proxy statement, ending weeks of speculation over how the regulator would rule on the politically contentious topic. Johnson & Johnson didn’t want its investors to weigh in on restricting class-action litigation, and had sought the SEC’s permission to deny shareholders from voting on the issue.
The proposal, put forth by Harvard Professor Hal Scott, would have ...