The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a 2006 Hennepin County jury finding that former Metris Companies CEO Ron Zebeck was entitled to $30.2 million in severance benefits. The company's board fired him after it hired investment bankers to sell the Minnetonka credit-card company. A three-judge panel ruled that neither the jury nor the presiding judge was mistaken in requiring HSBC Finance Corp. to pay $11.5 million in Zebeck's legal fees. HSBC, the British company that bought Metris, contended that Zebeck was fired for violating his duties and using company funds for personal purposes. Zebeck sued in 2004 alleging employment-contract violations.
NEAL ST. ANTHONY
