TORONTO, April 15, 2015 /CNW/ - A class action lawsuit seeking $1 billion in damages on behalf of Canadian investors was launched today in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

The class action alleges that the defendants, including The Bank of Nova Scotia, conspired to manipulate prices in the silver market under the guise of the benchmark fixing process, known as the London Silver Fixing, for a fifteen-year period.

It is further alleged that the defendants manipulated the bid-ask spreads of silver market instruments throughout the trading day in order to enhance their profits at the expense of the class. This alleged conduct affected not only those investors who bought and sold physical silver, but those who bought and sold silver-related financial instruments.

Law enforcement and regulatory authorities in the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have active investigations into the defendants' conduct in the precious metals market.

The case is on behalf of all persons in Canada who, between January 1, 1999 and August 14, 2014, transacted in a silver market instrument either directly or indirectly, including investors who participated in an investment or equity fund, mutual fund, hedge fund, pension fund or any other investment vehicle that transacted in a silver market instrument.

A copy of the Notice of Action can be found at sotosllp.com. Potential class members can register on the website to obtain more information as the case progresses.

The plaintiffs and the proposed national class are being represented by a national team of lawyers from Sotos LLP (www.sotosllp.com), Koskie Minsky LLP (www.kmlaw.ca) and Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman (www.cfmlawyers.ca) with offices in Ontario and British Columbia.

SOURCE Sotos LLP

For further information: contact David Sterns at 416-977-5229 or [email protected]