SEC v. Barrington Asset Management - Enforcement Action Dismissal and Settlement

SEC Litigation Releases

Filed February 10th, 2026

Detected February 11th, 2026

Summary

The SEC has dismissed its civil enforcement action against Barrington Asset Management, Inc. and Gregory D. Paris. Simultaneously, the SEC instituted a settled administrative proceeding against the same parties. The dismissal and settlement occurred on February 10, 2026.

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What changed

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has dismissed its civil enforcement action, filed on June 28, 2021, against Illinois-based investment adviser Barrington Asset Management, Inc. and its minority owner, Gregory David Paris. This dismissal, filed on February 10, 2026, was made with prejudice. Concurrently, the SEC initiated a settled administrative proceeding against Barrington Asset Management and Gregory D. Paris.

This action signifies a resolution for Barrington Asset Management and Gregory D. Paris, who were previously subject to a civil enforcement action. While the specific terms of the settled administrative proceeding are not detailed in this release, the dismissal of the civil action suggests a resolution has been reached. Regulated entities, particularly investment advisers and their compliance officers, should note the SEC's approach to resolving such cases and the potential for administrative settlements following initial litigation filings.

Source document (simplified)

Barrington Asset Management, Inc.; Gregory David Paris

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 26480 / February 10, 2026

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Barrington Asset Management and Gregory D. Paris, No. 21-cv-3450 (N.D. Ill. filed June 28, 2021)

SEC Dismisses Civil Enforcement Action Against Illinois Investment Adviser and Its Minority Owner and Simultaneously Institutes Settled Administrative Proceeding

On February 10, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a joint stipulation with Barrington Asset Management, Inc., an investment adviser located and registered in Illinois, and Gregory David Paris, a minority owner, vice president and chief compliance officer of Barrington, to dismiss, with prejudice, the SEC’s civil enforcement action against Barrington and Paris. Simultaneous with filing the joint stipulation, the SEC instituted a settled administrative proceeding against Barrington and Paris.

The SEC’s investigation and litigation were conducted by Peter Senechalle, Jonathan S. Polish, BeLinda I. Mathie, and Craig L. McShane of the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office, with the assistance of Frank A. Brown, II and Ross Goetz of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis. The investigation was supervised by Amy Flaherty Hartman of the Chicago Regional Office and Joseph Sansone of the Enforcement Division’s Market Abuse Unit.