Former Merrill broker settles civil lawsuit over throwing smoothie
James Iannazzo stands in Superior Court, in Bridgeport, Conn. March 9, 2022. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media/pool photo)
On Wednesday, James Iannazzo agreed to pay $7,500, an amount his attorney called a 'token payment.'
James Iannazzo, the former Merrill Lynch broker who was fired in January after an incident in a smoothie shop went viral online, has settled a civil lawsuit filed by one of the store’s employees.
Attorneys representing Gianna Marie Miranda, an 18-year-old employee at a Robeks smoothie shop in Fairfield, Connecticut, sued for $300,000 in damages after Iannazzo threw a drink at Miranda and called her a “f—ing immigrant loser.” On Wednesday, Iannazzo agreed to pay $7,500, an amount his attorney, Brian Glicklich, called a “token payment.”
On Jan. 22, a drink ordered at the Robeks location appeared to trigger an allergic reaction in Iannazzo’s son, who had to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital. Iannazzo’s attorneys said that emergency medical responders recommended that he return to the shop to ascertain what was put in the smoothie but that Iannazzo lost his temper when an employee told him they “didn’t know.”
“Mr. Iannazzo will always regret his momentary loss of temper at the time of his son’s medical emergency, and this outcome clearly shows the weakness of the case attempted against him,” Glicklich said in a statement.
The interaction was caught on video and shared widely on social media. Iannazzo turned himself in to police, was arrested and charged with a felony for intimidation based on bigotry or bias in the second degree, as well as two misdemeanors.
In April, Iannazzo was assigned to an accelerated rehabilitation program to sidestep a criminal conviction. After one year of supervision, charges against him will be dismissed.
Iannazzo was also required to donate $500 to the Connecticut Office of Victim Services and ordered not to return to the smoothie shop or make contact with its employees.
BrokerCheck shows Iannazzo began working with Aegis Capital Corp. in March.
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