[ By Melanie Gretchen ] The Morgan Stanley investment banker who allegedly stabbed a NYC cab driver last December has waived his right to a jury trial.  In a brief pre-trial hearing in Stamford Superior Court, Mr. Jennings requested a bench trial to be heard solely by a judge, on advice from counsel. The Incident. A New York City cab driver picked up Banker William Bryan Jennings late one night and agreed to drive him to his home in Darien, CT, a wealthy suburb of New York.  Jennings had just left a Morgan Stanley holiday party and apparently was in a "sotted" state.  They got into an altercation when, upon arriving at Jennings' Darien residence, Jennings refused to pay the fare requested. Mohamed Ammar, an Egyptian-born U.S. citizen, told police who arrived at the scene, that he and Jennings had agreed on a fare of $204 before leaving Manhattan.  As the cab pulled into the driveway of Jennings' $2.7 million mansion about an hour later, a fight broke out inside the cab, during which Jennings threatened Ammar and used racial slurs, police said.  He then took a pen knife from his briefcase and stabbed Ammar in the hand, requiring 6 stitches.  Some 2 months later, on 2/29/12, Jennings was arrested and placed on leave from his job as co-head of U.S. bond underwriting. Going Forward. Mr. Jennings pled not guilty in March to charges of intimidation as a hate crime, theft, and assault, charges that carry a maximum penalty of 11 years in prison.  A 5/25/12 trial date was later set, at which time a pending motion to dismiss the charges may also be discussed.  In addition to the above charges, the attorney for the cab driver said his client may file a civil case against Mr. Jennings. For further details, go to [Reuters, 5/1/12].