Grasso Seeks a New Judge for Pay Case
Former New York Stock Exchange chief Richard Grasso would like a new judge for his pending civil trial against New York Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer to ensure impartiality.
Grasso’s lawyers last week filed a motion to have the case reassigned to a different judge.
New York State Judge Charles E. Ramos has been handling the pretrial stage of the case and is set to hear a trial that may start as soon as October.
Spitzer sued Grasso, alleging that his $187.5-million pay package was excessive for the head of a New York not-for-profit company.
Grasso headed the NYSE for eight years before resigning under fire a month after signing a new contract in 2003.
Grasso’s lawyers at Williams & Connolly filed papers arguing for a new judge on the grounds that Ramos held settlement discussions with the parties in which he made statements that “could reasonably be interpreted as impairing Grasso’s right to have his case resolved in a fair and impartial manner.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
