A federal judge has allowed a class action lawsuit against Wells Fargo to proceed, accusing the bank of conducting fake job interviews to evade diversity hiring requirements. Plaintiffs, former investors, allege that the bank's practices, revealed in New York Times articles, misrepresented its commitment to diversity, leading to significant financial losses when stock prices fell. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson found sufficient evidence suggesting that Wells Fargo intended to defraud shareholders by conducting sham interviews with non-white and female candidates whom they had no intention of hiring. The judge dismissed the bank's claims of insufficient proof regarding the prevalence of these interviews and rejected the notion that top executives were unaware of the practices. Wells Fargo insists it is dedicated to diversity and has previously faced investigations by the DOJ and SEC that concluded without action against the bank.