Fired Officer Files Suit Against Goldman

Goldman, Sachs & Co. has been sued by one of its former vice presidents, who alleges that he was fired for refusing to give confidential client information to a separate partnership made up of Goldman principals.

Leo Haviland, who previously headed Goldman’s Energy Futures & Options Group, filed suit in Manhattan federal court last Wednesday alleging Goldman violated the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act.

A Goldman spokesman, who learned of the suit Friday, said: “The complaint is by a disgruntled former employee who is unhappy about his termination. It is completely without merit.”

Haviland said he has been injured in the amount of at least $4 million. Haviland traded in energy futures and options on behalf of large refining and marketing firms, energy producers and oil trading firms, the suit says.

Haviland said Goldman had assured him that he would not have to disclose confidential client data to J. Aron, a trading group made up of Goldman partners. J. Aron buys and sells futures, options and commodities for itself and then hopes to trade them at a profit.

He alleged that Goldman pressured him to reveal the information, but he declined.