SCOTUS Makes It Tougher To Sue Corps For Fraud

Anil Kumar, right, former director at McKinsey & Co. Inc., arrives at Manhattan Federal court, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 in New York. Kumar, a former director of a global management consulting firm pleaded guilty Thursd... Anil Kumar, right, former director at McKinsey & Co. Inc., arrives at Manhattan Federal court, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 in New York. Kumar, a former director of a global management consulting firm pleaded guilty Thursday to securities fraud charges, admitting making $2.6 million by feeding inside stock information to one of America's richest men in history's largest hedge-fund insider trading case. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is making it tougher for investors to join together to sue corporations for securities fraud.

The justices said Monday that companies should have a chance at the early stages of a lawsuit to show that any alleged fraud was not responsible for a drop in the company’s stock price.

The ruling is a partial victory for Halliburton Co., which is trying to block a class-action lawsuit claiming the energy services company inflated its stock price.

It is also a modest win for business groups that hoped to make it more difficult for plaintiffs to bring class-action cases. But the high court rejected Halliburton’s request to overturn a quarter-century-old precedent that has made it easier for plaintiffs to negotiate billions of dollars in legal settlements.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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