Shearson Lehman Hutton v. Stuart Tucker

Stuart Tucker, appellee, brought suit against appellant, Shearson Lehman Brothers, Inc., for fraud, breach of contract, and slander. The trial court directed a verdict against appellee on all grounds except those relating to slander. Tucker was a former employee of Shearson who was terminated for violating a Shearson company policy. Tucker alleged that a Shearson senior vice-president of sales, Jonathon Wilde, made statements that Tucker (1) was going to lose his license as a broker; (2) was in big trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and (3) would never work again as a broker. Tucker alleged that Wilde made the statements to two former clients of Tucker who contacted Shearson regarding the status of their accounts. The trial court directed a verdict in favor of Wilde, individually.