Washington, D.C. partners Ryan Duffy and Kathleen Warin obtained a precedent-setting decision in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on behalf of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The case involved the plaintiff’s attempt to remove information from her registration records, which are maintained by FINRA under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The plaintiff asserted claims for equitable expungement, declaratory judgment and a permanent injunction. The District of Columbia Superior Court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims based on collateral estoppel. On appeal, the parties engaged in several rounds of briefings after oral argument related to numerous complex issues raised by the plaintiff-appellant’s claims. Ultimately, the Court of Appeals found the Superior Court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the claims at issue arose under federal law and were within the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal district courts. Importantly, the court also concluded that the plaintiff-appellant’s equitable claims alleged remedies rather than proper causes of action under District of Columbia law. As a result, the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims in favor of FINRA. This hard-fought decision provides significant precedential guidance under District of Columbia law and will have a substantial impact on many other equitable expungement claims filed in the District of Columbia.