CHICAGO, March 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Stoltmann Law Offices announced today that it has launched an investigation on behalf of Bear Stearns Cos (BSC) employees into the brokerage firm's deal with JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM). The goal of the investigation is to recover through lawsuits or FINRA arbitration claims investment losses sustained by Bear Stearns employees and financial advisors in the company's stock.
Employees owned 34% of Bear Stearns' outstanding stock and many employees owned sizable six and seven figure amounts of the company's stock. Many of these employees were only years away from retiring. These stock positions have suffered declines in excess of 90%. More so than other firms on Wall Street, Bear Stearns had encouraged its employees, from secretaries to top executives, to be long-term holders in the company's stock.
Bear Stearns shares were worth $160 per share a year ago and $87 per share fewer than three weeks ago. The JP Morgan $2-a-share bid to buy Bear Stearns Cos. represents a 93% discount to the company's closing price from last Friday. At its peak, the employees' stake in Bear Stearns was valued at $6.3 billion. At the deal price, it was worth $79 million.
According to the preliminary stages of the investigation, employees of Bear Stearns, including the firm's financial advisors and stockbrokers, might have an actionable claim against the firm for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, misrepresentations and omissions and other violations of federal and state securities laws.
Particularly egregious is that Stoltmann Law Offices has learned that some firm executives sold out company shares at prices close to $90 per share. For example, the predecessor to James E. Cayne, the firm's chairman and former chief executive, has sold over $50 million worth of shares since early 2007. One of the firm's top fixed income executives sold $9 million in stock last December for $89 a share. Another high level executive sold $6 million at the same time.
If you are, or were, a Bear Stearns' employee and you sustained losses in excess of $75,000 in Bear Stearns' stock, please contact Stoltmann Law Offices at 877-332-4244 to see whether some or all of these investment losses are recoverable. You may also visit the firm at its website at www.InvestmentFraud.PRO. The law firm works on a contingency fee basis with no fee unless they win.
Stoltmann Law Offices is a nationally recognized, Chicago based law firm that concentrates its practice in representing investors throughout the U.S. in securities arbitration and litigation matters against major Wall Street brokerage firms.