Madoff Litigation – Filings Against the SEC

We represent a number of victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. In January of 2009, we filed notices of claim with the Securities & Exchange Commission alleging negligence under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The SEC rejected our claims six months later, and on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, we filed the historic and first known lawsuit against the SEC seeking monetary damages under the FTCA, Molchatsky and Schneider v. United States. We were lead counsel on the Molchatsky case and filed two additional cases against the United States on behalf of other Madoff victims. While the Second Circuit ultimately dismissed the action, essentially saying that the SEC had absolute immunity, the case sent a message that Herrick will leave no stone unturned on behalf of its clients. This work led to favorable tax relief legislation for Ponzi scheme victims as well as a complete overhaul of SEC staff policies and procedures.