Experienced Securities and Commodities Trial Lawyers Fighting to Recover Investor Losses Since 2004

When you invest, you put your trust in brokers and brokerage firms. Brokers and brokerage firms owe clients good faith and a very high standard of care when they recommend investments to assist clients with their investment objectives. Unfortunately, broker fraud does occur. Broker fraud can take the form of pump and dump scams, insider trading, churning, embezzling client funds, making misrepresentations of material facts, or failing to disclose material facts or potential conflicts of interest, among other issues.

Securities arbitration is a commonly used form of alternative dispute resolution. If you are an investor who lost money because of your broker or financial advisor’s careless errors or intentional fraud, you may be able to recover your losses through securities arbitration. Arbitration can occur in connection with any type of investment, including stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and annuities. When a customer has a claim against a stockbroker or financial advisor, he or she may be required to have the claim resolved before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FINRA arbitrations may be heard before one or three arbitrators.

Commodities are raw agricultural products and raw materials for which there is demand. They may take the form of precious metals, industrial metals, energy, or agricultural products like livestock or crops. The price of commodities is determined as a function of an overall market in which they are traded. Investors can trade or deal in commodities through direct investment, investment in real productive assets such as real estate, investment in commodity derivatives such as futures, or investment in the equity of public companies. Futures contracts, for example, are agreements to buy or sell a particular amount of a commodity for a certain price and at a fixed future date. The stockbroker fraud attorneys at our New York firm have substantial experience representing investors in cases involving commodities futures and options on futures, plus over-the-counter derivatives, including class action cases in which plaintiffs have recovered millions.

An important element of our practice is class action litigation. Class action litigation allows a group of people to hold a defendant accountable for misconduct when no individual plaintiff’s losses are sufficient to warrant the expense and time of bringing an individual lawsuit. Class actions offer a mechanism through which small claims can be combined in order to justify litigation against a powerful or sophisticated entity. Another benefit of class actions is eliminating the danger that multiple lawsuits will result in inconsistent judicial decisions. We represent investors, consumers, and shareholders who have been economically harmed because of a financial services institution or corporation’s illegal, deceptive, or negligent conduct.

The Immigrant Investor Program is known as EB-5. It creates a special category of immigrant visa for international investors to encourage their investment in U.S. commercial enterprises, which will create jobs for American workers. A foreign investor can make a direct investment in a new or existing commercial enterprise that creates jobs, or they can invest capital in a Regional Center that manages investor funds. This program is meant to stimulate the economy by creating jobs. However, sometimes investors fall victim to scams associated with the program.

A large percentage of the population in the U.S. is elderly. Unfortunately, elder financial abuse is on the rise. Suspected financial abuse should be reported to the proper local, state, or federal authorities. Our New York stockbroker fraud lawyers have handled FINRA arbitration cases asserting claims under state elder abuse statutes. These state statutes vary widely but certain states have robust remedies such as treble damages and mandatory awards of attorneys' fees if the claimant prevails on an elder abuse claim. Investors who believe they may have been victims of financial elder abuse should be certain to explore all such state law remedies that may be available.

Energy products, especially oil and gas investments, can be extremely volatile. If a financial advisor or stockbroker recommends an oil or gas investment to you, they should make sure that you understand the volatility of that investment. Brokers also owe a duty to figure out whether the investment is suitable, given your age and other elements of your profile and your investment objectives. Sometimes investors’ accounts become overconcentrated in risky oil and gas investments, and the broker and their firm do not disclose how much risk is involved. They can be held accountable for investment losses based on the unsuitability of the recommendation or on other grounds. You may be able to recover your losses through arbitration before FINRA, or by filing a lawsuit, with the assistance of a stockbroker fraud lawyer in New York.

Sometimes what is presented as a new investment opportunity is a Ponzi scheme. We encourage investors to be vigilant for Ponzi schemes and conduct due diligence. Ponzi schemes are scams in which early investors in a scheme are paid funds from later investors. This payment makes investors believe that the scheme is legitimate. Red flags that an investment opportunity may be a Ponzi scheme include a promise of high returns with guarantees of little risk, overly consistent returns with little or no volatility, unregistered investments, unlicensed sellers or promoters, and difficulty in leaving the investment and getting cash. Sometimes financial advisors engage in impermissible sales of unregistered securities; these may be actionable under state securities acts (known as "Blue Sky laws") or other applicable law.

If you are concerned that a financial professional may have mishandled your investments, you should consult The Law Office of Christopher J. Gray. Our firm’s attorneys handle cases in state and federal courts throughout the U.S., subject to state bar rules. Call Christopher J. Gray at (866) 966-9598 or contact us through our online form.