Blanchard and Co. files lawsuit against Barrick Gold Corp. and J. P. Morgan Chase
Wed Dec 18, 4:45 PM ET
TORONTO - A New Orleans retail gold dealer has filed a lawsuit against the Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp. and J. P. Morgan Chase of New York alleging they manipulated the price of gold.
Blanchard and Co., the largest retail dealer in gold coins and bullion in the United States, said Wednesday it filed the suit along with clients who bought gold bullion.
Blanchard accused Barrick Gold Corp. and J.P. Morgan Chase of unlawfully combining to actively manipulate the price of gold, and alleged they made US$2 billion in short-selling profits by suppressing the price of gold at the expense of individual investors.
Blanchard, which is paying the costs of the suit, said it has asked the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana to terminate the trading agreements between Barrick and J. P. Morgan Chase and other bullion banks, yet unnamed.
Neal Ryan, a spokesman for Blanchard, said the company is not seeking any damages as part of its lawsuit, but it wants the trading agreements and alleged illegal activities to end.
Barrick Gold is Canada's largest gold producer and the world's second-largest. J. P. Morgan Chase is a major financial holding company and investment bank.