In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday, Merrill Lynch names a defendant known only as "John Doe." The company said it suspects he lives somewhere in the Midwest.

The e-mails started showing up in early to mid-September in the accounts of various black investment brokers, the lawsuit said.

The company said they were created using Microsoft Corp.'s "Hotmail" e-mail service and purport to be from a Merrill Lynch regional administrative manager. Merrill Lynch said it will seek a court order to unmask John Doe by obtaining information about the e-mail sender.

Sharpton said in a telephone interview that he has received e-mails from someone purporting to be a Merrill Lynch employee. He said he would seek to join the action.

"I salute Merrill Lynch's lawsuit. It's something that's been needed because these kinds of things have gone unchecked," Sharpton said. "It sends a signal to other bigots and copycats who would try to hide behind an e-mail address."

The company said the e-mails have drawn complaints from some of its black employees, have cast the Merrill Lynch employee whose name has been used in a negative light, and have tarnished the company's reputation. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a halt to the e-mails.

According to the lawsuit, the e-mails have been filled with the n-word and other derogatory remarks.

Sharpton said he has always faced some racist mail and phone calls. "I'm a public figure. I understand it, but the people who work for me are subjected to all kinds of danger," he said.

Rachel Noerdlinger, a spokeswoman for Sharpton and his National Action Network, said the e-mails in the lawsuit seemed similar to several racist voice messages that were received at Sharpton's office earlier this month from a man who spoke slowly with a slight Southern drawl.

She played several of the messages for The Associated Press.

The message used the n-word in front of the words "action network," then went on to call Sharpton by that name and also referred to him as a "disgrace."

Sharpton led protests against radio personality Don Imus earlier this year before he was fired after an uproar caused by his sexist and racist comments on-air about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Sharpton said police installed a panic button in his Harlem office and placed squad cars outside his business and home for several weeks this year. "I've been in this 25 years. I've never seen it so bad," added Sharpton.

Sharpton said a Nov. 16 march in Washington will advocate for aggressive law enforcement against hate crimes.