Sorry Seems To Be The Key Word In NYSE Suit

Kenneth Langone, who in the past said he was confident of winning the lawsuit brought against him and former New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, may be singing a different tune now. Langone, the former head of the NYSE compensation committee, says he would be willing to forget the trial provided Spitzer says he’s sorry for some harsh words made about Langone.

“I am all for a settlement, if Mr. Spitzer wants to be a gentleman and apologize for what he said about me, then we can all go home,” Langone reportedly said in an interview on CNBC. Spitzer had accused Langone of misleading the exchange about the $193 million pay package Grasso received when he stepped down as chairman. The New York Post reports that Langone has urged Grasso not to settle, and has been contributing to a campaign for a candidate opposing Spitzer in his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.