Perella, Ducera Dispute Hinges on Evidence of Taking Clients

Claims that officers of investment banking group Ducera Partners LLC stole business from their former employer, Perella Weinberg Partners, were met with pushback Wednesday from New York appellate judges that noted how few clients leapt from Perella to Ducera in the wake of an exit of four partners.

During oral arguments Wednesday, the judges homed in on Perella’s claims that Ducera CEO Michael Kramer—who launched Ducera in 2015 along with former Perella restructuring group partners Derron Slonecker, Joshua Scherer, and Adam Verost—solicited business from major Perella clients, including Monsanto Co.

Justice Cynthia Kern of the New York Supreme Court ...