The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is attempting to force the former general counsel of Qwest Communications to testify against his old company, as US authorities pursuing corporate failures continue to target legal advisers.

The SEC filed the request on 28 July in the federal court in Denver, asking that a judge force Drake Tempest to testify in relation to Qwest. This follows his failure to appear at an SEC hearing in June after being subpoenaed by the US market regulator.