SECURITIES

Court Freezes British Executive’s Assets: A federal judge, acting on a request from the Securities and Exchange Commission, froze the assets of Jeffrey Morris, who allegedly made illegal profits from the sale of Hilton Hotels Corp. stock. An SEC lawsuit alleged that Morris, 35, of Leeds, England, made an illegal profit of more than $400,000 after buying Hilton call options and stock three days before the hotel announced it had hired an investment banking firm to undertake a study and make recommendations to management to enhance shareholder value. The temporary restraining order signed by Judge Robert Patterson in Manhattan Federal Court freezes Morris’ assets, both in the United States and Britain.