No. 20-222October Term 2020Decided Jun 21, 2021Updated May 24, 2026
Goldman Sachs Group v. Arkansas Teacher Retirement System
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. v. Arkansas Teacher Retirement System
Investors claimed Goldman Sachs kept its stock price artificially high by making broad, misleading statements about how well it managed conflicts of interest.
Case status
Decided 9-0 · June 21, 2021 · Opinion by Justice Barrett
Read the opinion (PDF)- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Jun 21, 2021
- What it's about
Investors claimed Goldman Sachs kept its stock price artificially high by making broad, misleading statements about how well it managed conflicts of interest. The Supreme Court considered what a defendant can show at the class-certification stage to prove those statements did not affect the stock price, and who bears the burden of proving that point.
Question presented
1. Whether a defendant in a securities class action may rebut the presumption of classwide reliance recognized in Basic Inc. v. Levinson, 485 U.S. 224 (1988), by pointing to the generic nature of the alleged misstatements in showing that the statements had no impact on the price of the security, even though that evidence is also relevant to the substantive element of materiality. 2. Whether a defendant seeking to rebut the Basic presumption has only a burden of production or also the ultimate burden of persuasion.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit / Decision released Jun 21, 2021
- Area
Business and Regulation
Timing
Decided June 21, 2021
The Court released its decision on June 21, 2021 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Activity
Docket activity3
Brief added: Questions Presented
May 24, 2026 | Court records
Opinion added: opinion
Jun 21, 2021 | Court records
Brief added: Petition
Aug 21, 2020 | Court records
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Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology