BELDEN INC. 10-K

Item 3. Legal Proceedings As disclosed in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 3, 2018, we fully cooperated with an SEC investigation related to the material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K. The investigation is closed as we reached a settlement with the SEC during the year ended December 31, 2020, which did not have a material effect on our results of operations. On November 24, 2020, the Company announced a data incident involving unauthorized access and copying of some current and former employee data, as well as limited company information regarding some business partners. In January 2021, Anand Edke filed a putative class action lawsuit against the Company in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Case No. 2021 CH 47. In February 2021, Kia Mackey filed a separate putative class action lawsuit against the Company in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Case No. 4:21-CV-00149. The plaintiffs have each asked for injunctive relief, unspecified damages, and unspecified legal fees. It is premature to estimate the potential exposure to the Company associated with the litigation. The Company intends to vigorously defend the lawsuits. We are also a party to various legal proceedings and administrative actions that are incidental to our operations. In our opinion, the proceedings and actions in which we are involved should not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results, or cash flows. However, since the trends and outcome of this litigation are inherently uncertain, we cannot give absolute assurance regarding the future resolution of such litigation, or that such litigation may not become material in the future. Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures Not applicable. 17 PART II