Spitzer fires new shot in Grasso pay war
Mar 23
New York Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer aims to examine regulatory lapses at the New York Stock Exchange under Richard Grasso as part of a lawsuit seeking to recover some of the former chairman's pay.
A court filing shows that MrSpitzer asked New York State Supreme Court judge Charles Ramos to force Mr Grasso to produce the transcript of a deposition he gave to Securities and Exchange Commission lawyers in June 2005. The questions focused on whether Mr Grasso knew about illegal trading, according to the brief filed yesterday by assistant Attorney-General Avi Schick.
"The state is entitled to explore the regulatory failures at the NYSE during Grasso's stewardship, and his role in allowing or facilitating illegal trading conduct at the NYSE," Mr Shick wrote.
"There was a direct relationship between Grasso's regulatory performance and the amount of compensation he was awarded."
Mr Spitzer, who filed his lawsuit in May 2004 on behalf of the NYSE, is seeking to recover a portion of the $US190 million Mr Grasso was paid.
(snip/...)
http://afr.com/articles/2006/03/22/1142703432660.html