Year

Company

Description

2023

BP BP.L

Former CEO Bernard Looney had more than $40 million cut in his compensation after the British oil giant concluded he misled the board over personal relationships with colleagues.

2021

McDonald's MCD.N

Former CEO Steve Easterbrook agreed to return compensation worth $105 million in equity awards and cash to settle a lawsuit over alleged lies about affairs.

2019

CBS

CBS Corp fired Leslie Moonves for cause and denied a $120 million severance package after the former chief executive was accused of sexual harassment and assault that allegedly took place before and after he joined the company.

2017

Uber UBER.N

Travis Kalanick, Uber's co-founder and CEO, was forced to resign after a series of scandals plagued the company, including allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic workplace culture. Shareholders later sued the board, alleging it failed to properly oversee Kalanick and allowed the scandals to happen.

2017

Equifax EFX.N

After a massive data breach exposed millions of customers' personal information, Equifax's CEO received significant criticism for his handling of the crisis and a hefty bonus. Shareholders filed suit alleging the board failed to properly oversee the CEO.

2016

ViacomVIACOM.UL

A shareholder lawsuit claimed that Viacom and CBS Corp's Executive Chairman Sumner Redstone was improperly paid millions though "he was physically and mentally incapacitated".

2011

Occidental Petroleum OXY.N

CEO of Occidental Petroleum Ray Irani, was criticized for excessive pay after his compensation grew 40% in 2009 to $31.4 million. Shareholders pushed for board seats.

2002

Worldcom

After an accounting scandal that led to financial fraud, shareholders sued the company over excessive compensation awarded to executives, including the CEO.