FINRA Orders First Award Resulting From Video Conference Hearing
From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law LLC:
As we all adapt to a new normal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, FINRA has issued its first arbitration award involving a virtual hearing. FINRA ordered Wunderlich Securities to pay $11.4 million to Dominick & Dickerman and one of its executives. The dispute arose from the sale of Dominick & Dickerman’s wealth management business to Wunderlich in 2015.
This arbitration included a total of nine days of hearings. Only the last day of hearings, which occurred on March 12, was conducted via Zoom, a popular video-conferencing website. The other eight days of the arbitration, held in December 2019 and earlier in March 2020, proceeded in-person.
This is likely to be the first of many FINRA awards stemming from video conference hearings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FINRA has postponed all in-person arbitration and mediation proceedings through July 3. FINRA will allow hearings to be held telephonically or via video conference if both parties consent or if it is ordered by the arbitration panel.
The attorneys of Eccleston Law LLC represent investors and advisors nationwide in securities and employment matters. The securities lawyers at Eccleston Law also practice a variety of other areas of practice for financial investors and advisors including Securities Fraud, Compliance Protection, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, FINRA Matters, and much more. Our attorneys draw on a combined experience of nearly 65 years in delivering the highest quality legal services. If you are in need of legal services, contact us to schedule a one-on-one consultation today.
Related Attorneys: James J. Eccleston
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