FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

Ohio pension funds lost more than $27.5 million because of the alleged fraud JPMorgan Chase & Company, perpetrated against fund managers, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says. As a result, DeWine said he has filed a motion for Ohio state pension funds to join certain other funds in seeking to lead a class of investors in litigation against JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The news comes as the bank announced that losses related to its “London Whale” trading scandal have already totaled at least $5.8 billion.

“The filings allege that pension fund managers, acting on behalf of Ohio retirees, were given false and misleading information by JPMorgan Chase that hid the true nature of the bank’s risky trades, causing Ohio teachers, school employees, and public employees to lose tens of millions of hard-earned retirement dollars,” said Attorney General DeWine.

The motion alleges that JPMorgan Chase issued false and misleading statements regarding its trading activity, describing risky and speculative trading strategies merely as “hedges” and “risk management” devices. The trading losses by JPMorgan Chase caused losses in the bank’s stock value to mount into the billions of dollars.

Joining the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio, and the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio in filing for lead plaintiff status are public pension funds in the states of Oregon and Arkansas, as well as a Swedish national pension fund. The motion is made in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com