U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York City ruled that Goldman Sachs' dismissal of a lawsuit by investors must go to court. The ruling requires Goldman Sachs to engage in a class-action lawsuit in which the investment firm is accused of defrauding investors in shady deals occurring before the 2008 financial crisis.

The deals included $2 billion of debt sold to the investors now taking Goldman to court who claim that they were sold risky debt linked to subprime mortgages, and that Goldman had been betting against those mortgages.

Goldman's dismissal of the claims tried to assure the judge that they were ”rife with differences, idiosyncrasies and conflicts” according to Reuters. At the core of the argument is Goldman's apparent desire for the claims to be pursued separately from one another — to which Marrero responded that the costs of which would raise judicial resources and be too costly.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, many banks and financial firms have come under fire for doing just what Goldman did — selling risky bets on mortgage-backed securities when the banks themselves were betting against the securities. And this is not the first time Goldman has been brought to court over mortgage-linked debt. The much-remembered 2010 case in which Goldman settled with the SEC for $550 million over misleading investors in a case over subprime mortgages rings a similar bell. The case settled the claims that Goldman sold the securities and misled investors as the housing market slid drastically. It was the largest penalty ever paid by a Wall Street firm — although a drop in the bucket for Goldman Sachs itself.

The ruling by Marrero will bring Goldman into the spotlight once more for the same fraud. Whether it will be as easy as an SEC settlement remains to be seen.

Further reading:

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York City ruled that Goldman Sachs' dismissal of a lawsuit by investors must go to court. The ruling requires Goldman Sachs to engage in a class-action lawsuit in which the investment firm is accused of defrauding investors in shady deals occurring before the 2008 financial crisis.

The deals included $2 billion of debt sold to the investors now taking Goldman to court who claim that they were sold risky debt linked to subprime mortgages, and that Goldman had been betting against those mortgages.

Goldman's dismissal of the claims tried to assure the judge that they were ”rife with differences, idiosyncrasies and conflicts” according to Reuters. At the core of the argument is Goldman's apparent desire for the claims to be pursued separately from one another — to which Marrero responded that the costs of which would raise judicial resources and be too costly.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, many banks and financial firms have come under fire for doing just what Goldman did — selling risky bets on mortgage-backed securities when the banks themselves were betting against the securities. And this is not the first time Goldman has been brought to court over mortgage-linked debt. The much-remembered 2010 case in which Goldman settled with the SEC for $550 million over misleading investors in a case over subprime mortgages rings a similar bell. The case settled the claims that Goldman sold the securities and misled investors as the housing market slid drastically. It was the largest penalty ever paid by a Wall Street firm — although a drop in the bucket for Goldman Sachs itself.

The ruling by Marrero will bring Goldman into the spotlight once more for the same fraud. Whether it will be as easy as an SEC settlement remains to be seen.

Further reading: