A Manhattan federal judge vacated a $9.4 million arbitration award to a company in an employment termination case, saying the arbitrator had denied the employee the right to present evidence that was “clearly germane.”

Southern District Judge Richard Berman said arbitrator Rosemary Townley’s reasoning was “legally incorrect” and she had “severely prejudiced” the employee, who had sought $675,000 in damages for breach of his employment agreement.