Financial Services Litigation

Betts Diplas PLLC represents financial institutions and fintech companies, broker-dealers, investment advisers and managers, and financial advisors in litigation, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings.

For clients in the financial services sector, we handle disputes concerning customer complaints, account management and supervisory issues, trading and valuation practices, contractual and indemnification obligations, Form U4 and U5 disclosures and expungement, executive compensation and transition matters, and employment-related discrimination and harassment claims. We also represent clients in connection with examinations, investigations, and enforcement actions by FINRA and state securities regulators.

We have successfully defended financial institutions and advisors in numerous FINRA arbitrations and secured expungement of customer dispute information from CRD/BrokerCheck. In particular, we have handled arbitrations involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, breach of contract, and fraud, arising from allegations of misrepresentation and omission, unsuitability, unauthorized trading, and failure to supervise.

Our industry experience extends across a range of financial products and services, including brokerage and advisory accounts, structured products and private placements, annuities, banking and payment systems, and digital-asset platforms. We also leverage our in-house experience within Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management division, handling litigation, arbitration, and regulatory enforcement matters before FINRA and state regulators.

Representative matters include:

  • Defending Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and its financial advisors in FINRA arbitrations and securing favorable resolutions through evidentiary hearings, mediations, and settlements;
  • Securing a FINRA arbitration award for the expungement of customer dispute information from CRD/BrokerCheck on behalf of a financial advisor, and obtaining state court confirmation and enforcement of the award;
  • Litigating civil actions and coordinating responses to state securities regulators on behalf of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management;
  • Representing a fintech payments facilitator in a contract dispute with a national processor over access to core processing infrastructure and sub-merchant onboarding and integration services;
  • Investigating and responding to customer complaints and pre-arbitration demands on behalf of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management;
  • Advising a fintech lender on exposure arising from liquidity constraints, funding obligations, and third-party disbursement structures;
  • Advising a fintech company on executive transitions, including separation agreements, restrictive covenants, and equity and compensation packages;
  • Litigating employment discrimination and harassment claims involving commercial and investment banking employees; and
  • Representing an annuity holder in a dispute over an unauthorized disbursement, securing a settlement that restored account funds and reimbursed attorneys’ fees.

Certain matters described above were handled by Michael A. Betts and/or Alexandros Diplas prior to the formation of Betts Diplas PLLC.

Contact Us

Please reach out to us at [email protected] to discuss how we may be of service.