A Manhattan Commercial Division judge has scuttled a non-monetary settlement of a class action brought by shareholders objecting to Verizon Communications' $130 billion acquisition of Vodafone's stake in the American telecom's wireless business.

The decision also wipes out $2 million in attorney fees and costs for plaintiffs' law firm Faruqi & Faruqi.

In a highly critical opinion in Gordon v. Verizon Communications, 653084/2013, Justice Melvin L. Schweitzer (See Profile) said approving the legal fees would be a misuse of Verizon's corporate assets and would enable “an unwarranted divestiture of shareholder rights.”