Smith Barney, Harris Upham sued Goodyear Tire.

The investment firm sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber and financier Sir James Goldsmith for $17 million in damages, claiming that Goodyear paid Goldsmith “greenmail” to buy out his stake in the tire maker after promising that it would not do so. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, concerns Goodyear’s repurchase in November of Goldsmith’s 12.5 million shares in the Akron, Ohio-based company. Smith Barney said it and a partner own 1.75 million shares of Goodyear stock and that the damages the firm is seeking reflect the difference between the price Goldsmith received and the subsequent price of the stock.