FINRA Orders UBS to Pay Over $11 Million in Defamation Case

Posted on December 17th, 2019 at 2:54 PM

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law LLC:

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) ordered UBS Financial Services Inc. to pay more than $11 million to a former supervisor who claimed the firm defamed him in explaining his departure.

According to a recent InvestmentNews article, Mark Munizzi was working as a market operations supervisor in the UBS Chicago office in February of 2018 when two accounts he was overseeing lost value during a steep market drop. UBS fired Munizzi in April 2018, asserting that he failed to take heed when notified that there were margin calls on the accounts. Munizzi argued that he did not receive any such notifications from UBS.

FINRA found UBS liable and ordered that the explanation of Munizzi’s departure on his Form U5 be amended to “terminated without cause.” FINRA also awarded Munizzi $3,149,656 in compensatory damanges, $7,500,000 in punitive damages, $496,753 in attorneys’ fees, and $24,381 in costs.

UBS was also ordered to pay interest on $112,500 of the compensatory damages as severance pay.

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 FraudCompliance ProtectionBreach of Fiduciary DutyFINRA 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

Tags: james eccleston, eccleston law, eccleston law llc, eccleston, ubs, chicago, finra, defamation lawsuit, mark munizzi

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

You were most helpful with my FINRA deposition. You are a good lawyer and a good person.

Dan B.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

November 18, 2024
Wahed Invest Settles SEC Charges Over Undisclosed Endorsements and Ad Rule Violations

The SEC recently settled charges with Wahed Invest, a faith-based robo-advisor that markets itself to Muslim clients, over violations of the SEC’s marketing rule.

November 15, 2024
FINRA Arbitrators Award Former RBC Advisor $9.7 Million in Gender and Age Discrimination Case

FINRA arbitrators recently awarded a former RBC Wealth Management advisor nearly $9.7 million in damages for age and gender discrimination claims. 

November 14, 2024
SIFMA Challenges CFP Board

According to InvestmentNews, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) released a whitepaper criticizing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board’s standards enforcement, asserting it operates as a “de facto, private
regulator.”