The tables have turned yet again for ex-New York Attorney General and Governor Eliot Spitzer, who is now being sued by a former Marsh & McLennan Co. executive accused at one time by Spitzer of insurance fraud.
In an Aug. 19 libel complaint (Gilman v. Spitzer, 11-c-5843, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan), William Gilman alleges that Spitzer, in an August 22, 2010
Gilman, who previously served as an executive marketing director at Marsh, was employed by the broker from 1976 until 2004, saw his final charge in the insurance fraud case dismissed in January. In 2004 Spitzer announced an investigation into practices at the company, including fees paid by insurers to brokers who place business with them, notes a
The conviction, however, was dismissed by the trial judge, James Yates of state Supreme Court, who said newly discovered contradictory evidence “undermines the court’s confidence in the verdict.” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ultimately dropped that charge in January.
“I haven’t seen the lawsuit and so will not comment on it,” Spitzer said in a telephone interview reported by Bloomberg. “The illegalities rampant at Marsh & McLennan leading to their fine of $850 million and the multiple judicial findings of illegality are clear from the public record.”
Gilman has also sued the Slate Group LLC, parent company of slate.com, note reports. Bloomberg says that an e-mail to the magazine’s press office seeking comment didn’t receive an immediate reply.
Spitzer’s famous rise to fame as a prosecutor chasing insurance fraudsters at the highest level is equaled in by his ultimate fall in 2008, when he was forced to resigned as New York's governor after being linked to a prostitution ring. After being picked up by various talk shows as a random guest, Spizter landed his own television program, CNN’s “In the Arena.” Last month, Time Warner Inc., which owns CNN, canceled the show after less than one year on the air due to low ratings.
