The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to raise the bar for shareholder lawsuits alleging fraud but reinstated a class-action lawsuit against the company to a lower court for further proceedings.At issue was an investor lawsuit filed in 2011 that alleged Goldman artificially inflated its share price before, during, and after the 2007-09 financial crisis. The suit stated that the company falsely claimed that it was complying with ethical rules when in fact it was riddled with undisclosed conflicts of interest in its packaging and selling of mortgage-backed securities.“Our clients’ interests always come first,” was one of the generic statements defendants, including the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, alleged was fraudulent with the effect of artificially maintaining Goldman’s stock price.“Our reputation is one of our most prime assets,” the company had stated. “We have extensive procedures and controls that are designed to identify and address conflicts of interest.”The hit Goldman’s shares eventually took, the lawsuit alleged, came when the public learned the firm structured enormous transactions that benefited itself and specific clients at the expense of other clients.