Judge rules Merrill bonus names can be made public

NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - A New York state judge ruled on Wednesday that the names of executives who received 2008 bonuses at Merrill Lynch & Co were not a trade secret and could be made public in a probe by New York's top legal officer.

"The record does not support the intervenors' claim that the employee compensation information is a trade secret," New York State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried wrote.

"I conclude there is no legal basis for the proposed petitions to quash, fix conditions or modify subpoena and for a protective order," said the ruling in favor of the office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo [ID:nN13325089].

Merrill was taken over by Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) on Jan. 1. (Reporting by Grant McCool; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)