Reserve Primary Fund, the failed $62.5 billion money-market firm, begins trial today on civil claims by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled shareholders about the safety of its fund after it lost money on Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. debt.

Reserve, which held $785 million in Lehman debt, caused a run on money-market funds after its net asset value fell below $1 a share on Sept. 16, 2008, the day after Lehman filed the biggest bankruptcy in history. The failure of Reserve, the first money fund in 14 years to “break the buck,” contributed to a global financial crisis.

The SEC sued Reserve, founder and Chief Executive Officer Bruce R. Bent and his son, President Bruce Bent II, in May 2009. The SEC accuses the Bents of violating federal securities laws by making misleading statements to investors and trustees in the run-up to the collapse of the fund.