Recognized in the Industry
Badge - AV Preeminent 2020
Badge - Best Attorneys of America
Super Lawyers
Badge - Badge - Avvo Rating 10.0 Top Attorney
Martindale-Hubbell Client Reviewed
Expertise - Best Employment Lawyers in New York City
Avvo Reviews
NYC Bar Association

Delaware Securities Fraud Lawyers

Delaware, one of the smallest and least populous states, is home to the cities of Dover and Wilmington. It is also the home state of President Joe Biden, who, along with other retirees and wealthy Delawareans, maintains a beach home on the Atlantic. Where there are retirees and wealthy investors, fraudsters lurk, and Delaware is no different. Malecki Law is an investment loss law firm based in Manhattan, serving investors across the nation, including in Delaware. For over 25 years, the firm’s proprietor, Jenice L. Malecki, Esq. and her securities fraud lawyers have recovered tens of millions of dollars in investment losses from financial firms, whether due to fraud, negligence, failed supervision, or the recommendation of unsuitable investments – often brought in actions relating to the recommendation and sale of riskier investment products.

Delaware’s state securities regulator, the Investor Protection Unit (IPU), housed within the Fraud and Consumer Protection Division of the Delaware Department of Justice, published its top threats to investors to include products, and sales practices associated with the sale of those products, such as promissory notes, real estate investments, oil & gas investments, and variable annuities. In one action, the regulator secured a settlement that included sanctions against the brokerage firm LPL Financial for its use of Leveraged Exchange Traded Funds, otherwise known as leveraged ETFs, which the settlement described as follows:

“Leveraged ETFs are exchange traded funds that seek to return, on a daily basis, two hundred percent or, negative two hundred percent, of a particular index, commodity, currency, or economic sector. Leveraged ETFs typically do not invest directly in the underlying index or asset class but rather attempt to accomplish this daily objective by using financial derivatives, such as futures and swaps contracts. When Leveraged ETFs are held for periods longer than a day, compounding (among other factors) typically causes the Leveraged ETFs return to diverge from that which might be expected from simply multiplying the change in the underlying index by the relevant factor. This potential divergence is magnified in periods of greater volatility. Due to this divergence, an investor can lose money when holding Leveraged ETFs over long periods, even if the investor bets correctly on the direction of the relevant index over the same term.”

The settlement further detailed LPL Financial’s failure in warning investors:

“LPL operates as a broker-dealer and a federally covered investment advisor in Delaware. The State’s investigation found that certain LPL investment professionals failed to disclose risks associated with Leveraged ETFs, including the risks described above, and failed to ensure that Leveraged ETFs were suitable investments for their clients. In addition, the investigation found that LPL failed to adequately supervise those investment professionals whose clients held leveraged ETFs for extended periods of time.”

The above finding by the state of Delaware is consistent with federal regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). According to FINRA, leveraged ETFs are considered Non-Traditional Investments because of the many risks they carry to investors. From 2003 through 2010, FINRA sent out many Notices to Members (NTMs) and Regulatory Memoranda to member firms regarding the risks of leveraged ETFs, including:

  • Obligations When Selling Non-Conventional Investments (NTM 03-71);
  • Best Practices for Reviewing New Products (NTM 05-26);
  • Non-Traditional ETFs (Regulatory Notice 09-31); and
  • Increased Margin Requirements for Leveraged ETFs (Regulatory Notice 09-53).

These repeated notices and guidance from FINRA highlighted the important suitability obligations when recommending such new and complex products. FINRA’s guidance further emphasized the extreme volatility and risk in these ETFs (which are known to be nearly impossible to recover from), as well as heightened margin scrutiny and higher equity balances being required. The notices also stressed that firms must understand these products on each level (broker, supervisor, compliance, etc.), and that training was critical. It is not atypical in many instances of misconduct that the brokers who recommend these complex products do not understand them any better than the investors who bought them. It is, therefore, important that you hire a securities fraud law firm knowledgeable in non-traditional securities products.

The securities fraud attorneys at Malecki Law have been successful at recovering money for investors who purchased leveraged ETFs at the recommendation of their broker, even when the investor was considered “sophisticated” and knowledgeable about the financial markets. Once such investor who purchased leveraged ETFs was the recipient of a substantial monetary award in FINRA Arbitration Case No. 18-03033, in which Malecki Law recovered the investor’s full financial loss, in addition to interest and attorneys’ fees. If you are a Delaware resident and lost money in the financial markets or a non-traditional product like leveraged ETFs, contact the securities fraud lawyers at Malecki Law for a free consultation.

Attorney Advertisement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Testimonials From Former Clients
★★★★★
I highly recommend Jenice and her team at Malecki Law. I had a challenging, and lengthly case. Jenice was professional, very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. She managed to make the process far less stressful during a very difficult time. They care about their clients, and it definitely shows. Mario
★★★★★
Jenice is truly a miracle worker and one of the top securities lawyers. She handled a very difficult case for us, displaying her legal knowledge, intelligence, and savviness throughout the process. I cannot recommend her enough. The quality of work from her team rivals that of corporate law firms. She was always available, extremely professional, and made sure to know all the details of the case. We were very fortunate to have been referred to Jenice and highly recommend her for any securities related legal issues. Nathan A.
★★★★★
An excellent professional who represented us in trial regarding a bank fraud, an unexpected and difficult time. A professional that worked hard, persevering and who stood toe to toe against firms that had a team of excellent lawyers backing them up. Her unflinching determination really stands out, it makes you feel you have someone who really cares about trying to recover what you lost from the people that wronged you. Salomon Levi
★★★★★
It is difficult to thank you in words when gratitude comes from the heart, so I will try to link feelings with writing. It is essential for us to mention your excellence as a professional, your aptitude on legal fields, and your unavoidable persistence. All of these virtues that elevate the profession you exercise in such an admirable way, go hand in hand with your sense of ethics, your human warmth and the transparency in your actions. To sum up, thank you for being a listening ear and for having the right word while transmitting information about the legal process. Having you as our representative during such an adverse situation was a privilege and enough reason for our eternal gratitude. Angeles Aparain
★★★★★
To say that my securities litigation was complex would be a severe understatement. With multiple parties involved and spanning many years, trying to understand the issues was daunting to say the least. Jenice and her team broke down the transactions by segment and by party uncovering every hidden expense. In the end, I was more than happy and could not thank Jenice and her team enough. I would not hesitate to recommend Jenice to anyone. She is highly professional, incredibly knowledgeable, well connected to industry experts, has a tireless work ethic and is so pleasant and easy to communicate with. Five stars for sure! Andrew Loughrane
★★★★★
Jenice was also special in giving us all the personal attention we needed, plus the tireless support of her crack team, over the course of ~18 mos. She talked us through every step of the way, and was open to discussing specific negotiation tactics, not glossing over anything. Dave Bliss
★★★★★
I recently worked with Jenice to negotiate a business buyout, and I couldn't be more pleased with the experience. From the start, Jenice was incredibly helpful and deeply invested in achieving the best possible outcome for me. Her expertise and dedication were evident in every step of the process. David
★★★★★
I can’t say enough about Jenice and her team- they set the standard. As an Army veteran, I deeply respect the values they reinforce while operating at a level of tenacity that is unmatched. They handled the entire process with empathy and kindness- yet were firm and honest regarding expectations and outcomes. Communication was clear and swift. Their breadth of knowledge and experience provided comfort during a stressful time and was impressive to watch unfold. I’m very happy with the outcome. Thank you Jenice and team for making giants seem extremely small. Sharron Todd
★★★★★
My experience with jenice was incredible. You want a lawyer who is advocate for you and fights for you with passion. She came along a time in my life that I needed an advocate who truly cared about me and my case. Highly recommend. Pat Brown
★★★★★
I had the privilege of working with Malecki Law, and I must say it was an outstanding experience. Jenice, Jacqueline, and Adam consistently demonstrated remarkable responsiveness, offering excellent advice that reflects their diligence and precision. Their bold and intelligent approach, combined with an excellent attitude, truly sets them apart. I highly recommend Malecki Law to anyone seeking top-notch legal assistance. Mohsen Chitsaz
★★★★★
Jenice Malecki, is one of the most helpful individuals Ive had the pleasure of speaking with. She is super knowledgeable. She helped me navigate the ever changing world of securities law. You will find her understanding of complex matters helpful and insightful. She is straightforward and candid. She makes your options easy to understand. I would recommend her without any hesitation. 10/5 stars! Enrique Tiburcio