Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

FINRA Arbitration Panel Orders &Partners and Broker to Pay Wells Fargo $1.25 Million

Posted on June 9th, 2026 at 2:04 PM
FINRA Arbitration Panel Orders &Partners and Broker to Pay Wells Fargo $1.25 Million

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel has ordered &Partners and broker David M. Labourdette to pay Wells Fargo $1.25 million in a dispute tied to what Wells described as an "orchestrated" employee departure.

AdvisorHub reports that Wells Fargo waited a month after Labourdette left the firm, and alleged breach of contract and violations of FINRA rules. Wells Fargo also sued &Partners, alleging that it had aided the conduct and engaged in tortious interference.

The FINRA arbitration panel, which consisted of two public arbitrators and one non-public arbitrator, did not provide a written explanation for the decision. Although the panel awarded Wells Fargo $1.25 million, AdvisorHub notes that Wells Fargo reportedly had requested more than $13 million in damages, including punitive damages and attorneys' fees. The panel denied Wells' requests for additional damages and fees but assessed all hearing session fees, totaling $14,250, against &Partners and Labourdette.

An &Partners spokesperson told AdvisorHub that the claims were "retaliatory and anti-competitive." The spokesperson stated that Labourdette sought to move the practice he built with his sons because the team believed &Partners offered a better platform for both advisors and clients.

The case is somewhat unique because both Wells Fargo and &Partners belong to the Protocol for Broker Recruiting, which allows advisors to retain limited client contact information, notify clients when changing firms, and solicit business. The case unfolded amid Wells Fargo's revised policies regarding advisor solicitation. Last year, the firm tightened restrictions on employee solicitation activity, however stating that it would not enforce those restrictions when advisors moved between firms participating in the Protocol for Broker Recruiting.

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra arbitration, securities law, broker dispute, wells fargo, financial regulation

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

I want to extend a tremendous thank you for your dedication, professionalism, hard work and patient demeanor through this challenging time. It was enjoyable interacting with everyone on your team, this certainly helped while dealing with the situation and working towards resolution.

Dan M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1793294906 Law
October 29, 2026
FINRA Bars Former LPL Financial Broker for Refusing to Cooperate With Investigation

?The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA?) barred Buddy Dean Mason, a former LPL Financial broker in Lakeland, Florida, after he refused to provide documents and information during an investigation into a customer complaint involving an alleged outside investment.

1793209405 Law
October 28, 2026
FINRA Panel Orders Kingswood Capital Partners and Executives to Pay Former Advisor $11.3 Million

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel has ordered Kingswood Capital Partners LLC, CEO Michael Nessim, and Chief Compliance Officer Mohamed Alsoraimi to pay former advisor Rikin Patel $11,341,369.25.

1793123026 Law
October 27, 2026
CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Crypto Asset Regulatory Framework

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on a potential regulatory framework for retail commodity transactions involving crypto assets, which the agency calls "CTXs." According to the CFTC's press release, the initiative focuses on Section 2(c)(2)(D) of th...