On November 5, 2024, Judge Paul G. Gardephe of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York denied Morgan Stanley’s motion to reconsider and, in a detailed opinion, reaffirmed his November 21, 2023 ruling that Morgan Stanley’s deferred compensation plans are ERISA plans.
Last year, Judge Gardephe held that Morgan Stanley’s Compensation Incentive Plan and Equity Incentive Plan are “individual account plans” for the purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), a ruling that would require the Plans to comply with ERISA’s statutory protections for employee plan participants. On December 5, 2023, Morgan Stanley moved for “reconsideration and/or clarification” of the Court’s ruling, arguing that (i) the Court overstepped its authority and (ii) factual issues precluded the Court’s determination that Morgan Stanley’s Plans are governed by ERISA. On May 24, 2024 Morgan Stanley took the unusual step of seeking a writ of mandamus from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which the Second Circuit denied on August 27, 2024.
In his November 5, 2024 Order, Judge Gardephe examined Morgan Stanley’s arguments at length and rejected them, finding that Morgan Stanley’s contention that this Court committed “clear error” in deciding the ERISA coverage question is “disingenuous and incorrect” and that “[t]he issue of ERISA’s applicability to [Morgan Stanley’s] deferred compensation programs has been front and center since this lawsuit was filed in 2020.” Considering whether testimony proffered by Morgan Stanley in a separate arbitration precluded the Court’s determination that the Plans are governed by ERISA, Judge Gardephe found the testimony “irrelevant” because the question of whether a plan is governed by ERISA is determined from the plan documents. Judge Gardephe again rejected Morgan Stanley’s argument that the deferred compensation plans fall within the U.S. Department of Labor’s bonus regulation and reaffirmed his prior ruling that “Morgan Stanley’s deferred compensation programs are ERISA plans.”
Former advisers who were required to defer commissions under one or both Plans may have claims against Morgan Stanley.
Lax & Neville LLP has extensive experience successfully pursuing deferred compensation claims in FINRA arbitration, including claims under ERISA. Over the past several years, for example, this firm has won more than $35 million in unpaid deferred compensation, interest, and costs and attorneys’ fees for more than two dozen former Credit Suisse investment advisers.
If you are a former Morgan Stanley financial advisor who had deferred compensation when you left Morgan Stanley, please contact us at 212-696-1999 or email Barry Lax at blax@laxneville.com or Brian Neville at bneville@laxneville.com to discuss your potential claims.