Christian Curry

Morgan Stanley > The Curry Scandal > Christian Leigh Curry

Introduction to Christian Curry

Christian Leigh Curry grew up in Chappaqua, New York, the son of Dr. William Curry, a surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His family summered on eastern Long Island, where the rich and famous gather. When the Shinnecock Hills Country Club wanted to admit black members, Curry's father got one of the calls.

Christian Curry matriculated at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in the fall of 1992, but didn't stay a midshipman for long. At Northfield Mount Hermon, he played basketball, baseball, and football.

In January 1994, he restarted college as a sophomore at Columbia University. He quickly became involved in extracurricular activities: Columbia varsity basketball, Greek life, violin, piano and, picking up women.

He spent the summer of 1994 on campus, in his fraternity house, Kappa Delta Rho, on West 114th Street near Broadway. Mr. Charles Joseph Luethke met him there.

Nude Photos

Back in college years Curry decided to get a portfolio for his intended modeling career. A photographer agreed to waive his $1,000 fee if Curry posed nude. He also signed a consent form that gave up control of the photos that made it clear the photos might end up anywhere. He decided to use his middle name Leigh as an alias. Allegations are there that he posed for another photographer too. later, after the lawsuit was settled, the first issue of Gotham, a new city magazine had Curry posed wearing nothing but a Morgan Stanley baseball cap over his privates.

Morgan Stanley Attacks Curry's Credibility and Character

Strongest thing Morgan Stanley had against him were his expense accounts that listed fraudulent expense claims for items as frivolous as Cole-Haan shoes and car washes. "This guy seriously fabricated events. Christian Curry is going to spend a lot of time trying to explain things that are inexplicable." an article quoted an insider familiar with the legal department's thinking. On the other hand, Curry maintained that he was never warned about this until his firing.

His past small troubles with law - like legally tussle with a Boston medical insurance company and even his alma mater, Columbia, over unpaid college tuition fees - were made to se the light by the media. His 1997 assault upon Scott Sartianoa, a fellow Columbia University graduate, in front of in front of Fishs Eddy, in a romantic dispute over Marisa Wheeler, then a Columbia junior, who later become engaged to marry Mr. Curry, was widely reported. The deposition stated that Mr. Curry punched Mr. Sartiano "repeatedly about the face, chest and stomach with a closed fist," and kicked Mr. Sartiano "repeatedly in the stomach - and shove[d] Mr. Sartiano against a glass door of a store - causing the door to shatter." His criminal attorney, Earl Rawlins, defended him on these charges. However, Morgan Stanley made it clear that it will stick to expense account fraud only.