Judge to rule on Merrill bonuses list by Friday

N.Y. Attorney General Cuomo

NEW YORK - A judge said yesterday he will decide within a week whether Bank of America Corp. has to turn over a list of performance bonuses given to the 200 highest paid employees of Merrill Lynch & Co.

State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried didn't indicate how he would rule, but during the court hearing he questioned Bank of America's claim that salary information was a trade secret and suggested he was unlikely to order confidentiality merely to save Merrill Lynch workers from a public shaming. He said he planned on issuing a decision by Friday.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed the list of names and bonuses as part of his investigation into the circumstances surrounding the brokerage's acquisition by Bank of America last winter.