A Nova Scotia judge has rejected a request from an investment adviser to split a lawsuit against him into 78 separate cases. Frederick Saturley, along with his company High Tide Wealth Management, is facing accusations of devastating his clients’ life savings.

The case, which began in late 2020, has been ongoing for quite some time. Earlier this month, Saturley’s lawyer, Christopher Robinson, sought to have the case divided into multiple trials. Robinson argued that the plaintiffs did not have enough in common to justify a single trial.

However, in a ruling delivered on Monday, Justice Denise Boudreau denied the request. She explained that granting the severance request would only prolong the legal proceedings, as individual trials would likely extend over several years. Despite the case being in its early stages, with the initial claim filed in September 2020, Boudreau believed that consolidating the lawsuits would be more efficient.

The lawsuit revolves around the stock market crash at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plaintiffs claim that Saturley implemented overly aggressive investment strategies without their consent, resulting in significant financial losses. Some investors even found themselves owing money to the bank, with estimated losses totaling around $40 million.