Supreme Court allows investor lawsuits over Stanford Ponzi scheme to go forward

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FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2010 file photo, R. Allen Stanford arrives in custody at the federal courthouse for a hearing in Houston. The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that class-action lawsuits from investors who lost billions in former Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford\'s massive Ponzi scheme can go forward. The decision is a loss for individuals, law firms and investment companies that allegedly aided Stanford\'s fraud and wanted the lawsuits thrown out. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court says class-action lawsuits from investors who lost billions in former Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford’s massive Ponzi scheme can go forward.

The justices on Wednesday ruled against individuals, law firms and investment companies that allegedly aided Stanford’s fraud. They wanted the lawsuits thrown out.

Federal law says class-action suits related to securities fraud cannot be filed under state law, as these suits were. But a federal appeals court said these could move forward because the main part of the fraud involved certificates of deposit, not stocks or other securities.

The high court agreed in a 7-2 decision.

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