The New York Stock Exchange may demand that its former chairman Richard Grasso give up a significant portion of some $139.5 million he has received in pay, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.
The newspaper cited a critical report prepared by former prosecutor Dan Webb indicating there is evidence to order Grasso to repay between $50 million and $100 million.
The paper said that interim NYSE Chairman John Reed has told a close group of advisers that he is willing to seek repayment of some of the money already given to Grasso, who was forced to resign from the NYSE in September after a public outcry over his $188 million pay package.
Grasso, the paper said, citing a person familiar with the matter, is considering a lawsuit of his own. The former Big Board chairman is reviewing his legal options in order to secure $57.7 million in future pay and severance, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The exchange and Grasso could not immediately be reached for comment.