Wells Fargo Fails to Sink Whistleblower Suit Over Fake Accounts

Wells Fargo Bank N.A. lost a move to dismiss a former executive’s lawsuit alleging the bank fired him just prior to his giving testimony to federal investigators probing a national scandal that cost the bank $5 billion in fines and settlements.

Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu of the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday denied the bank’s summary judgment motion and granted John Sotoodeh—a former Wells Fargo regional chief for the national consumer banking division—partial summary judgment on his suit alleging retaliation and wrongful firing.

Wells Fargo failed to submit evidence supporting its claim that ...