8-1118. Violations; damages; statute of limitations.

(1) Any person who offers or sells a security in violation of section 8-1104 or offers or sells a security by means of any untrue statement of a material fact or any omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made in the light of the circumstances under which they are made not misleading, the buyer not knowing of the untruth or omission, and who does not sustain the burden of proof that he or she did not know and in the exercise of reasonable care could not have known of the untruth or omission, shall be liable to the person buying the security from him or her, who may sue either at law or in equity to recover the consideration paid for the security, together with interest at six percent per annum from the date of payment, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, less the amount of any income received on the security, upon the tender of the security, or for damages if he or she no longer owns the security, except that in actions brought based on a transaction exempt from registration under subdivision (23) of section 8-1111, no person shall be liable for any statement of a material fact made or for an omission of a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statement made not misleading unless such statement or omission was made with the intent to defraud or mislead, with the burden of proof in such cases being on the claimant. Damages shall be the amount that would be recoverable upon a tender less (a) the value of the security when the buyer disposed of it and (b) interest at six percent per annum from the date of disposition.

(2) Any investment adviser who provides investment adviser services to another person which results in a willful violation of subsection (2), (3), or (4) of section 8-1102, subsection (2) of section 8-1103, or section 8-1114 or any investment adviser who employs any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud such person or engages in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on such person shall be liable to such person. Such person may sue either at law or in equity to recover the consideration paid for the investment adviser services and any loss due to such investment adviser services, together with interest at six percent per annum from the date of payment of the consideration plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees, less the amount of any income received from such investment adviser services and any other economic benefit.

(3) Every person who directly or indirectly controls a person liable under subsections (1) and (2) of this section, including every partner, limited liability company member, officer, director, or person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions of a partner, limited liability company member, officer, or director, or employee of such person who materially aids in the conduct giving rise to liability, and every broker-dealer, issuer-dealer, agent, investment adviser, or investment adviser representative who materially aids in such conduct shall be liable jointly and severally with and to the same extent as such person, unless able to sustain the burden of proof that he or she did not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care could not have known, of the existence of the facts by reason of which the liability is alleged to exist. There shall be contribution as in cases of contract among the several persons so liable.

(4) Any tender specified in this section may be made at any time before entry of judgment. Every cause of action under the Securities Act of Nebraska shall survive the death of any person who might have been a plaintiff or defendant. No person may sue under this section more than three years after the contract of sale or the rendering of investment advice. No person may sue under this section (a) if the buyer received a written offer, before an action is commenced and at a time when he or she owned the security, to refund the consideration paid together with interest at six percent per annum from the date of payment, less the amount of any income received on the security, and the buyer failed to accept the offer within thirty days of its receipt, or (b) if the buyer received such an offer before an action is commenced and at a time when he or she did not own the security, unless the buyer rejected the offer in writing within thirty days of its receipt.

(5) No person who has made or engaged in the performance of any contract in violation of any provision of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act, or who has acquired any purported right under any such contract with knowledge of the facts by reason of which its making or performance was in violation, may base any action on the contract. Any condition, stipulation, or provision binding any person acquiring any security or receiving any investment advice to waive compliance with any provision of the act or any rule and regulation or order under the act shall be void.

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Annotations

A buyer's sophistication is irrelevant to a claim under subsection (1) of this section. DMK Biodiesel v. McCoy, 290 Neb. 286, 859 N.W.2d 867 (2015).

Reliance is not an element of an investor's claim against the seller of a security under subsection (1) of this section. DMK Biodiesel v. McCoy, 290 Neb. 286, 859 N.W.2d 867 (2015).

Expert testimony is not required to prove that a party offered or sold an unregistered security which was required by law to be registered or sold a security by means of an untrue statement or omission of a material fact. Hooper v. Freedom Fin. Group, 280 Neb. 111, 784 N.W.2d 437 (2010).

Officers and directors of a corporation which violated the law are strictly liable for a violation of the Securities Act of Nebraska unless the statutory defense of lack of knowledge is proved. Hooper v. Freedom Fin. Group, 280 Neb. 111, 784 N.W.2d 437 (2010).

Liability under the Securities Act of Nebraska extends only to a person who successfully solicits purchase of securities, motivated at least in part by desire to serve his or her own financial interests or those of the securities owner. Wilson v. Misko, 244 Neb. 526, 508 N.W.2d 238 (1993).

Person who offers or sells security in violation of section 8-1104 shall be liable to buyer of security, who may recover consideration paid, together with interest, costs, and attorneys' fees. Labenz v. Labenz, 198 Neb. 548, 253 N.W.2d 855 (1977).