An unusually nasty legal dispute has erupted between top analyst Omar Nokta and former employer Global Hunter Securities (GHS) over his decision to jump ship to rival Clarksons in June.

GHS has sued Nokta for breach of contract in New York’s state court, while the stockpicker has filed a counterclaim alleging he received threatening e-mails from the firm’s chief executive and has been maligned before US financial regulators.

Nokta’s