In re the Arbitration between Brenner & Nomura Securities International

228 A.D.2d 67, 652 N.Y.2d 249, 652 N.Y.S.2d 249, 1996 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12835
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedDecember 24, 1996
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 228 A.D.2d 67 (In re the Arbitration between Brenner & Nomura Securities International) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Arbitration between Brenner & Nomura Securities International, 228 A.D.2d 67, 652 N.Y.2d 249, 652 N.Y.S.2d 249, 1996 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12835 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Kupferman, J.

Petitioner was terminated from his position as a director and head government trader in the New York office of respondent Nomura Securities International on May 22, 1996. On or about May 23, 1996, petitioner filed a demand for arbitration against Nomura with the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD) alleging, inter alia, breach of the employment contract and a covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

On May 24, 1996, the IAS Court granted petitioner a temporary restraining order which enjoined Nomura from filing a Uniform Termination Notice for Securities Industry Registration (Form U-5) with NASD or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and granted petitioner’s request for an order directing Nomura to appear before the court and show why it should not be prohibited from filing such a form pending the conclusion of arbitration. At issue was question number 15 on Form U-5 which asks member organizations whether a terminated employee is or was "under internal review for fraud or wrongful taking of property, or violating investment-related statutes, regulations, rules or industry standards of conduct?” If the member organization answers affirmatively, it must provide additional information. Once the form is submitted, it is entered into the Central Registration Depository, which is a computerized database accessible to self-regulatory organiza[69]*69tions, such as NYSE. Securities companies must review U-5 forms concerning any prospective employee.

According to petitioner, a preliminary injunction was necessary to prevent his "preeminent reputation in the primary and secondary securities market for the past 14 years” from being destroyed and thus suffering irreparable injury because of diminished employment opportunity.

However, in late May 1996, petitioner told Bloomberg News Service that he had filed an arbitration claim against Nomura because he believed that the company would defame him in a Form U-5. He told the service that he had been accused of overvaluing government securities. The Wall Street Journal published a similar story based on petitioner’s court documents and comments.

On June 14,1996, the IAS Court granted petitioner’s request for a preliminary injunction to the extent of ordering that Nomura seal any filed Form U-5, "meaning” Nomura, NYSE and NASD were prohibited from disseminating the contents of the form. That decision and order was subsequently incorporated in and superseded by the same court’s order entered July 11, 1996. Initially, the court noted that petitioner’s specific objection to the filing of the U-5 form was to question number 15. The court then addressed the issue of whether CPLR 7502 (c) requires the court, when determining an application for a preliminary injunction, to consider only whether an arbitration award will be "rendered ineffectual” if the injunction is not granted or to consider the customary equitable criteria, i.e., (1) likelihood of success on the merits; (2) a balancing of the equities; and (3) danger of irreparable injury, citing Albini v Solork Assocs. (37 AD2d 835). The court stated that the traditional test should be applied.

After noting that Nomura is compelled under certain NYSE regulations to file a Form U-5, the court expressed its belief that "it is a public scandal to allow a federally-sponsored and mandated procedure to ruin the 14-year career, in this case, of a person who may be entirely blameless and do so without consequence to the individual whose career is ruined”.

The court then stated that it appreciated that NYSE’s termination reporting requirements are Federally mandated and serve a legitimate public interest. The court also indicated that it knew that petitioner had gone to the press and revealed that he had been accused of misvaluing securities. However, it stated that going to the press is not the same thing as having every prospective employer know that an individual is suspected of fraud.

[70]*70The court then rejected Nomura’s argument that section 27 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 USC § 78aa) preempted it from considering the matter. That section, the court noted, provides that the United States District Courts will have jurisdiction of all violations of the Securities Exchange Act and of all actions brought in equity or law which are brought to enforce a liability or duty created by said act.

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Bluebook (online)
228 A.D.2d 67, 652 N.Y.2d 249, 652 N.Y.S.2d 249, 1996 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12835, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-arbitration-between-brenner-nomura-securities-international-nyappdiv-1996.