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Securities Fraud

Securities Fraud

At Starr Austen & Miller LLP, we help people who have lost money because their stock brokers or advisors mismanaged their investments. See our Securities Fraud Case History for examples. As a rule, we only get paid if you do. About 75 percent of the cases we’ve taken are paid contingency.

The types of securities fraud cases we handle include:

 

  • Overconcentration (an entire portfolio concentrated in one type of investment)
  • Misrepresentation
  • Broker theft of money
  • Malpractice
  • Negligence
  • Churning (excessive trading of a client’s account in order to increase broker commissions)
  • Breach of trust claims
  • Self-Directed IRA

 

Over the years, clients have come to us because they know they’ve lost money but were not sure how it happened. Perhaps you, too, are in such a situation. Don’t take your advisors word for it. We’ll help you know your rights. If you don’t have a case, we won’t sugarcoat it. We’ll tell you the truth.

 

But you need to act fast. If you don’t, you may not be able to legally recover anything.

 

As securities fraud lawyers, most of our clients are between 60 and 80 years old, are five or more years into retirement and do not have a college education. Some worked for Eli Lilly. Many have pension funds and now have cash they don’t know what to do with, partly because they have never handled their own investments.

 

Often the problem goes unaddressed even though it affects many people. This is because the item or problem in question has a relatively small dollar value, so victims find it uneconomical to seek relief on their own. But class actions litigation makes it economically viable to obtain representation.

 

If you are experiencing a loss due to a faulty product, we’re here to help.

Securities Fraud

by Scott Starr, Partner

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Often our clients have used one manager and are conservative investors; they are not looking to 'get rich quick'.

Class Action Case History

Dale Burns, Gary Halpin and Key Hutchins v. Prudential Securities, Inc. and Jeffrey Pickett

Starr Austen & Miller was lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in a class action filed on behalf of approximately 300 Ohio residents who had their brokerage accounts improperly liquidated without authority by Defendants. This case tried to a Marion, Ohio jury, taking over a month to try.

XYZ Company v. XYZ Brokerage Firm

Starr Austen & Miller was co-counsel for the XYZ Company that pended in the United States District Court for the Southern Division of Indiana. This Indiana company lost approximately $10 million when Morgan Keegan, without the Plaintiff’s knowledge, invested approximately $10 million of the Plaintiff’s working capital in what proved to be subprime mortgage backed securities which ultimately resulted in a loss of those funds.

Gladys Anderson, et al. v. Edward D. Jones & Company

This case was litigated for approximately three years in Indiana State Court. Starr Austen & Miller represented in excess of 70 investors who lost nearly all of their monies invested in failed oil and gas limited partnerships marketed by Edward D. Jones & Company. This case was tried to an Indiana jury taking approximately six weeks to try.

Rosemary Tam and Wayne Tam, et al. v. David M. Housworth and Edward D. Jones & Company

In this case Starr Austen & Miller represented a group of approximately 100 people in a mass action against St. Louis based Edward D. Jones & Company regarding misrepresentations made by the Defendants in a sale of Petro Lewis Oil & Gas limited partnerships. The case was in litigation in Indiana State Court for a protracted period.

John Doe v. McDonald Investments Inc. and Others

Starr Austen & Miller represented Plaintiff in a FINRA action against Defendants who lost a substantial sum when McDonald Investments sold Plaintiff various volatile, high risk investments.

Paul M. Baldauf, et al. v. Edward D. Jones & Company

Starr Austen & Miller represented a group of approximately 100 individuals in Indiana State Court against Edward D. Jones & Company for marketed shares or interests in certain real estate limited partnerships to the Indiana plaintiffs group.

Ms. Doe v. XYZ Bank and Others

Starr Austen & Miller represented Plaintiff in Indiana State Court in an action filed against XYZ Banker for its failure to diversify trust assets.

Lloyd Pinney and James Crawley v. Edward D. Jones & Company

This case pended in the United District Court for the Western Division of Arkansas. Starr Austen & Miller was co-counsel with the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas and represented Plaintiffs in a class action against Edward D. Jones & Company. The case was based on failed investments into various oil and gas limited partnership marketed by Edward D. Jones & Company.

Marvin Kistler v. Raymond James & Associates

Starr Austen & Miller represented Plaintiff in a FINRA action against Raymond James for its refusal to liquidate and lock in gains achieved on certain annuities.

Thurman D. Albright, et al. v. XYZ Company

Starr Austen & Miller represented a group of approximately 30 individuals in Indiana State Court against a national brokerage firm for marketed various oil and gas limited partnerships to the Indiana Plaintiffs group.

Please note that results of past cases cannot guarantee future success. To our present and future clients, we commit our best efforts. However, because each case involves many different factors, results will always be different from case-to-case. Cases that may seem similar to the cases listed here are not guaranteed to have the same or similar result. Each case is dependent upon its own set of facts and the only common factor in all the cases summarized here and throughout our website is that Starr Austen & Miller, LLP represented the client.

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Our lawyers are available to review your situation.