Judge Allows Class-Action Suit to Proceed

A federal judge has decided to allow a class-action suit against Wells Fargo, its subsidiary H.D. Vest and a number of other mutual fund companies to proceed, but has dismissed some of the allegations and is requiring that additional investors join the lawsuits by Nov. 17.

The lawsuit charges that the fund companies paid secret shelf-space payments, or kickbacks, to brokerages in exchange for promoting their funds to clients. “Investors thought they were dealing with unbiased broker/dealers when, in fact, they were not,” the lawsuit says.

Other companies named in the suit include Fidelity Investments, Dreyfus, Franklin Templeton, OppenheimerFunds and Putnam Investments.

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Money Management Executive
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