A federal judge has determined that Amazon may be legally accountable for claims that the company has employed pricing practices to raise the cost of goods sold by other retailers, which is in violation of US antitrust law.
The ruling by US District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle on Friday came in a prospective antitrust class action that has estimated damages of between $55 billion to $172 billion.
In 2020, a collective suit was brought forward by residents of 18 states, including Virginia, Texas, California, Florida and Illinois. Its main aim was to dispute the policy set by Amazon that provides retailers with no abilities to lower prices for goods sold on other platforms if they still wish their product to be available via the Amazon Marketplace.
Related: California’s AG Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon
Jones’ order trimmed the lawsuit but said consumers can move ahead with their case.
Plaintiffs lawyer Steve Berman of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a lead attorney for the proposed class, said “Amazon’s main arguments are rejected,” and called the ruling “good news for tens of millions of consumers who have been overcharged by Amazon.”
Featured News
Former Sales Pro Admits to Bid Rigging Targeting US Schools
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
Macron Advocates EU Financial Integration Amid Push for Global Competitiveness
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
Microsoft Faces EU Antitrust Charges Over Teams Software
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
EU Antitrust Complaint Filed Against Edwards Lifesciences by Indian Rival Meril
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
South Korea’s Antitrust Watchdog Partners with AliExpress and Temu to Address Safety Concerns
May 13, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Mapping Antitrust onto Digital Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystems and Competition Law: A Law and Political Economy Approach
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystem Theories of Harm: What is Beyond the Buzzword?
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Open Ecosystems: Benefits, Challenges, and Implications for Antitrust
May 9, 2024 by
CPI